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

It’s a theory that they discussed that’s all. They seem to not have any idea why this outbreak is worse than normal. So they are speculating somewhat (but from
medical backgrounds). I’m trying to remember the other reasons. I’ll see if I can find it.

I think with a normal outbreak you have fewer people infected. Obviously an outbreak can happen anywhere and it is still only transmitted by close, prolonged contact. This happens to be in Kent. Doesn’t mean we are going to see outbreaks all over the country. The last one was Wales I think.

This particular outbreak it is infecting more people than normal
abd they are trying to find out why. I think a mutation of the virus is another theory. So it’s Men b but new strain within that.

That’s what that’ll be desperately researching - why has it happened like this now. They will find out very soon if it has changed.

I’m not saying either version is better or worse than the other. Just that IF it was Covid affecting everyone’s immune systems why aren’t we seeing this starting to happen all over the world? Maybe we will? Maybe Kent has just been very unlucky and it is just the first in a series of future outbreaks across the world all due to Covid. Or maybe it has mutated to a more infectious strain. And maybe that will be stopped in its tracks with this one outbreak and will never happen again. There isn’t any way to know right now which possibility (if either) it is. Maybe it is just a really bizarre fluke of nature and it will never happen again anyway. We’ll know more in the next few weeks.

Yeah. Meningitis outbreaks on this scale seem to be reasonably rare. There are obviously cases each year but larger outbreaks? We are all talking about the one in the late 90s that’s 25 years ago.

So I’m assuming that the conditions haven’t been right for a large outbreak for a while. Then something with this virus or those that it’s infecting is slightly different. So immunity is lower (this could also be because some people have recently had flu for example that lowers immunity) or the virus is slightly different.

Anyway I don’t see any more news on it this morning so hopefully it is settling down. I am also hoping those in hospital recover well.

I think because it does take quite unique circumstances for meningitis to break through the barriers of our throat. Lots of people are walking around with it in the backs of their throats and it’s not causing any issues to them or anyone they come in contact with. Then we have some immunity on a population level .

It not highly transmissible or airborne. It does take close, prolonged contact and then needs to break through the body tissues and cause issues.

But we've all been mixing as usual in the last 5 years. Surely immunity is just as normal?

I live in the area and while I am concerned that this has spread relatively quickly I think one of the main factors making the situation hard is the fact Canterbury doesn't have it's own A&E any more. I had an embolism last year and had to drive 30 minutes to Ashford on my own. This is not a safe place to have an emergency.

It was suggested by medical experts. I don’t think immunity in the population is normal if kids were locked down at crucial parts of their childhood but that’s another thread. I don’t know when immunity levels to various illnesses becomes normal again but if it’s quite a rare illness I guess it takes time.

Flu and respiratory illnesses have been worse for a few years too and this is the theory behind that.

I think it’s fine to disagree with this theory though. Obviously nobody knows for sure.

Meningitis B is bacterial, not viral. So it won't be a mutation of the virus. Query whether bacteria mutates in the same way?

Dd is in year 9 in a Canterbury school, not one that has had a confirmed case though.
She says the past few days about a third of her class have been kept off and the rest of the school has been much quieter than usual. Those same kids not in school have been posting pictures down the town, out with their friends so what’s the point of not being in school?

Having said that, I’d be a bit more concerned if she caught a bus to school - the school buses here are absolutely packed usually, and they all seem perfectly happy to cough and sneeze over each other!

I can understand it in a way - certainly that early Covid panic set in briefly for me when I first heard about it, but what can you do?
The response from authorities seems to have been very fast and comprehensive which is reassuring. I’ve read up about the bacteria, how to avoid it, symptoms to look out for etc.

So I’m concerned, but not losing sleep over it. My heart hurts thinking about the families affected and I will definitely be saving to get Dd vaccinated for MenB for when she starts 6th form.

Yes - it’s insane the only city in Kent, that also has 3 universities, doesn’t have an A&E department. It’s not even like WHH or QEQM are quick and easy to get to!

Phone in now on Jeremy Vine discussing if it is selfish or not to but a vaccine when they should all go to Kent.

Exactly, the safety of everyone here is reliant on things like this not happening as the system is so strained with emergencies. 1 in 5 of the local population is a student, so student based disease is a real worry here.

Seven more cases added today, per UKHSA.

Could you share the source please? ty

edited as per UKHSA

Following up on that
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cases-of-invasive-meningococcal-disease-confirmed-in-kent

27 cases in total. This must be unprecedented in UK history?

Kind of a moot point if they aren't available any more

According to the BBC, the 7 new cases are 6 confirmed and 1 suspected.

In terms of Men B being present in many people without symptoms, would something like snorting coke make the nose /throat area more susceptible for it to break through protective layers? Hope this is not too weird to ask.

I don't disagree as I am no expert, just musing.

Viruses tend to mutate more “easily” and quickly than bacteria.
It’s obviously pretty complex.

Smoking has been shown to increase transmission by irritating the throat lining, so I could see it being similar.

All good points. This particular outbreak is the meningococcal bacteria one. It is not a virus

I still can’t understand how if it needs prolonged contact and its not airborne it’s spreading so easily in one place.
It can’t be sharing vapes and snogging teenagers because this same thing happens in every place in the country as well as all over the world. The meningitis bacteria lives in people everywhere the same as it always has and people’s behaviour has not changed to make this outbreak any more explainable.
Maybe it’s lowered immunity due to covid but nowhere else has the same lowered immunity just Kent. Because if it was the case then people would be contracting meningitis everywhere.
Im not medical so maybe that’s why I don’t understand it but it doesn’t make sense

edited to add the only this that would make sense to me is a mutated strain

Please be aware there is more than one meningitis vaccine because there are different strains

I think a lot of people think if their child has been vaccinated for Meningitis ACWY this is the same.... It's not. Meningitis B is a separate vaccine which only children born after may 2015 are likely to have had on the NHS. Teenagers today haven't had it unless you've paid for it privately.

Have posters' schools outside of Kent sent any information about this outbreak?