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

Do cheerleaders vape

What a weird question.

It doesn’t stop transmission and it doesn’t stop anyone getting meningitis but it protects to some extent against meningococcal sepsis.

The cheerleaders are uni students who were at the club Chemistry I think

I don’t think there’s rule about any particular group of people and whether they vape or not. Do footballers smoke? Do builders drink? Do office workers watch TV? As with everything, I imagine some will and some won’t.

I couldn't find that information but that's more reassuring.

I do this sometimes the reporting is misleading - if the cheerleaders were at the club then that’s where they caught it. It’s irrelevant that they are cheerleaders. The implication is that it’s spreading elsewhere at sports clubs and this isn’t true. I think all cases are being traced back to the Chemistry Club.

Of course cheerleaders could be vaping and sharing drinks at a club.

I have to say I'm astonished at the state of vape sharing !

Think not this

What is astonishing about it?

Thinking back to uni when I smoked (I vape now) probably every cigarette I had when I was with someone, someone would ask for “twos” or a puff of it
so same thing really but a vape lasts longer, more people sharing than a cigarette

Is it really so weird? Cheerleading is incredibly physical more than many sports. None of the cheerleaders I know vape, I can't quite picture it.

If anything positive is to come following this horrible outbreak, which must be so very worrying for those infected and their families and friends it's that Men B vaccine is given on NHS to all year 13 students. The private cost is very high and most will not afford it. I will write to my MP.

Surely it’s not been spread solely by vaping what a load of utter rubbish? Do people really believe that every single person with men b right now vapes? What about the baby who caught it and wasn’t even in Canterbury recently? And yet she has caught the exact same strain as the outbreak. It can be spread by coughing, sneezing, etc. The outbreak itself could even be from dirty glasses in a club, dishwashers in clubs/ pubs rarely wash glasses properly. It could also be from poor hygiene in the club that night/ weekend, staff not washing hands or not getting time to. Sometimes there is not even hot water or soap in these clubs.

@Finbeginning of course it’s weird! Athletes and health conscious people often have bad habits. Why on earth would you extrapolate your experience to the rest of the population?

Don’t bring bloody common sense here! 😆

Sorry my question is weird, I must have weird thought processes. Perhaps not as smart as you. Thank you for pointing this out.

I’m not smart….

Alright then.

Do you want to tell all the medical experts that have said that the sharing of vapes inside in a nightclub is risky and that practice has most likely lead to the spread that then?

It’s not just vapes but kissing and drink sharing. But the rates of meningitis went down when smoking was banned inside. Teens can get away with vaping inside…of course it will be a reason this has spread. Nobody is saying it’s the only reason but it’s a key vehicle of transmission. Fresh saliva being passed around..!

I think the vape thing has indeed been over talked about. It mainly started when someone suggested it as ONE possible source of transmission and some other people seemed shocked and didn’t believe that people would share vapes. So it’s spiralled from there.

I would hope most people realise it isn’t just spread by vapes. People get meningitis throughout the year. Like the baby. Obviously if this major outbreak hadn’t happened we would never have heard about the baby as it wouldn’t have made the news.

As you say things like drinks sharing, kissing, generally being unhygienic are other reasons. But sharing vapes is likely one of them as well.

It also doesn’t last long outside the body! So sharing a drink that someone has just sipped from then yes. A dirty cup that hasn’t been washed properly? Less so. Unless it’s used very quickly.

Aimed at students, but the following video explains in fairly simple terms how low the risk of the outbreak is to the general population:

That’s a good video. And shows that unfortunately vapes are up there with sharing drinks and kissing. It’s the fresh saliva!

Nobody is saying it’s the only form of transmission, but I for one, have had a word with teens about the dangers of sharing vapes.

@Sisublondie, our vaccines at boots in Aberdeen have been cancelled but the pharmacist said she’s running a waiting list and we’re at the top of it for when stocks come in so maybe call the pharmacy directly as they should be putting your DC on the list?

I’m massively annoyed with myself as I tried to book my eldest in when he was home from uni over Christmas for men B but because of the flu wave they had no appointments and I let it slip down my to-do list. My fault as it was on my radar and I just didn’t follow up. My youngest is 17 and starting uni in September so I just assumed I could sort it for both of them this summer.

But that video doesn't reflect what has happened - this massive spreading is 'unprecedented' . Why ?

Yes most likely is that it is a 1 off where everything aligned to create perfect transmission conditions but until the health agency knows more I don't think anything can be certain.

Agree about telling teens (especially those that 'don't vape' to not share is a good idea, although I'm not sure if long term it is better to tell them to buy a vape- with all the potential long term issues- or risk sharing)