Meningitis outbreak

[Flipitoff]

I’m freaking out a bit

DD has been here all day after travelling from uni yesterday. Her housemate is really poorly and now I’ve just seen the news about the meningitis outbreak at her uni.

Her housemate is in the house on her own now - I’ve told DD to call the uni and let them know. Worried that DD has been here with us all day in case she gets sick

I googled this and it’s the same variant that she has.

I agree that the vaccine should be diverted to where it’s needed. Apparently stocks are already low. Is this because people have already been panicking and getting their kids vaccinated? Or have we, as a country, mismanaged the vaccine and not ordered enough?

This whole thing seems a bit like a shit show. The lack of boosters. The lack of awareness around Men B and how long the vaccine lasts. Basically ignoring how important it is for this age to be group vaccinated.

Five new cases reported this morning. The baby is not currently linked to the outbreak so not included in this number. (BBC)

People are now calling for a quarantine. Next week, uni students from Kent will travel all over the UK and abroad potentially bringing with them a deadly disease.

Are there any medics here who could confirm what the exact incubation time?

@Piggywaspushed I get the mark of respect regarding the nightclub but people have believed it was because the bacteria was somehow present there. It’s scaremongering. Meningitis cases are now very low in comparison to 10 years ago. Low hundreds. The vaccination has helped a great deal. It’s around 400 a year. It was at least 3 times this.

Specialist on radio 5 says the vaccination is of no use in the short term either. This person thought it’s likely to be a confined outbreak, and that the bacteria has not changed. He said it’s nothing like Covid. He said the public didn’t have the facts and they should have. Communication!!!!

Nobody is scaremongering. It is perfectly sensible for this to be taken seriously and shut down as soon as possible, especially as they think a superspreader may have been in the nightclub over several days. This suggests it was a member of staff and not a customer. Shutting the nightclub keeps staff at home, although at least one of them is already in hospital.

You say that numbers are low - true - but the consequences of invasive meningococcal disease are so potentially devastating that complacency is not in order. The UK authorities will be aware that France has had some very concerning outbreaks of MenB since the pandemic, and has significantly expanded its vaccination programme accordingly in the adolescent age group. Studies on the French outbreaks have reported that “the epidemiology has changed” - i.e. it is not behaving like it used to. Let’s let everyone working hard on this in Kent do their jobs without being accused of scaremongering.

I think there’s been a lot of scaremongering. It’s being reported like it’s Covid. Many experts are saying that vaccinations won’t help in Kent right now. Nor face masks. It’s all about close proximity and behaviour.

Wes Streeting live on BBC News right now.. in relation to the Men B vaccine, stating, roughly (!), …..“ we have MORE than enough supply for ALL young people who want it AND for the vaccine “ rollout” we are going in Kent….. but there is ABSOLUTELY no need for anyone to get it done for their child, but can understand why people wish to ………..”…

So, that’s good! I am sure my DS Boots appointment will go ahead this afternoon, and I’ve no idea why some of you guys are falsely alleging Boots/ Superdrug have cancelled YOUR DC due to “ diverted supplies”..🤷‍♀️🤔.. guess you must have been confused! 🫣🤯!!!

Good job all of us are overreacting, then? Methinks he was talking 💩………🤔?🤷‍♀️!

2- 14 days was reported in the Independent

@Sisublondie it took me too long to read the sarcasm 😂

The private practice I use for travel vaccs now has a banner on the main website page saying they can not get MenB vaccines

Expert on 5 Live news saying vapes are a huge issue. Cases went down when smoking was banned inside. And it’s the vaping inside that is the problem. As blowing out the air is also an issue (as well as the sharing). Just something else to mention to the teens!

So the smoke is a risk factor @Delatron ?

Because the nightclub itself does not carry the infection. It makes no sense to close the business.

A carrier can pass on the illness in any given location.

Closing that nightclub is no more effective than closing any other nightclub in the area.

"Meningitis cases are now very low in comparison to 10 years ago. Low hundreds"

The numbers right now are not all that important. What is important is how easily this is transmitted. If a disease is easily spread (we don't know for sure yet) then the numbers can start small and get big quickly.

Go to Youtube and watch the video called 'Exponential Growth: a Commonsense Explanation'. It's about 5 minutes long.

I don’t think so. It was breathing each others air in close proximity. You do need to be very close.

She just made a point that vapes were becoming an issue and not just the sharing but the exhalation of air in close groups. I guess you puff/blow the air out and droplets of saliva are on that air. Inside is the issue. Outside is fine.

What about choirs, such as college choirs, youth choirs, school choirs?

If anyone is concerned regarding symptoms, how the bacteria is spread or general information regarding Meningitis please see the following:

Meningitis Research Foundation UK www.meningitis.org

Meningitis Now www.meningitisnow.org

Both are excellent charities with a wealth of knowledge on their websites and helplines.

I've personally worked with the Meningitis Research Foundation UK, since I contracted bacterial meningitis and septicemia in 2001.

Please don't rely on AI or Chatgbt for information, these are not reliable sources.

On the news the expert said you really need to be ‘cheek to jowl’ in a confined place. Can’t say for sure but as it’s not airborne- the risks to choirs etc are much less than say Covid which is airborne.

Main transmission activities - kissing, sharing drinks and vapes, sharing utensils etc.

And yes read the above official leaflets. We have quite a lot of misinformation being spread on our school whatsapp . Parents being hysterical and saying ‘we only have a few days before it reaches us’. Not true.

I think the vape thing could
well be an issue too. I’ve never heard of this happening so fast and so many affected before. Breathing in Droplets would make sense.

Didn't a secondary school student catch it also? How did that happen?

Sixth form, so quite possibly at the club.

I think they were also at the Chemistry nightclub? I guess 17 year olds do go to nightclubs and mix with uni students. I did.

What about squashed together on the tube ,busses airports ..coughing abd sneezing ? It's not airborne but saliva must be a transmitter

Also talk of a bus ride some people too ill to say