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

Was wondering if anyone could reassure me tell me the beginning of the rash to look out for. DD has had a temp for two days and snotty nose. No energy either other than to watch TV and play on her tablet. Her babysitter is a UKC student although not part of the partying crowd as lives in post grad halls.

She has slight little bumps on her face and the back of one of her upper arms, like tiny pimples that you get when you haven't washed a while, which is making me slightly paranoid. Also she's mixed race so I'm not sure if a rash would go red.

I'm sure she's fine but obviously I feel like I'm watching her like a hawk now. Neighbour a few doors down earlier also knocked on my door asking if I had a thermometer as her teen is unwell so I imagine anyone poorly or with poorly children in Canterbury right now is doing mental gymnastics.

@apeaceful2026 call 111, nothing lost by calling them

@Sisublondie I've always wondered how paramedics get in if one is alone and the door is locked and who secured the house after !

The recorded message is saying high calls coming from South East are making the wait times longer. I guess everyone unwell is getting checked out.

😹! Indeed! My Dad was a fire officer and was very much like “ when we need to get in, we get in”! In my case, I was living in an apartment up north, hadn’t lived there long, didn’t know anyone yet, so a random buzzed them in to the building and my front door got a good shoving in! The Manager of the building had sorted it by the time I got out of hospital way later ( much like he did to my car, when I came back from holiday to find it on bricks, but he’d carefully taped bin bags over my caved in windows where the robbers had smashed in! Sweet!) 😹

@Crwysmam I am seen as a bit obsessive at work but at home we are even a shoes on house and it's quite messy by modern standards.
However at work in a school I never ever share/use cutlery there I always take my own.
I have antibac wipes ,don't touch doors and try and ventilate as much as possible.

@Sisublondie that's very lucky

@apeaceful2026 have you done the glass test on her rash.

Quite unbelievably I don't have any glass in the house.

Sorry I posted early about aerosols. I should have pointed out that Men B is a droplet infection and that droplet infections are different to aerosols. Again droplet infections are when the bacteria are too heavy to linger in the air. They rapidly fall to the floor or a surface.
I think some of the news outlets are confusing aerosol and droplet.
Imagine the bacteria being carried by water from a shower rather than an air freshener from an aerosol can.

The rash is quite distinctive. It’s not like a lot of rashes which are raised and with similar sized spots. The lesions are irregular in shape, can coalesce but are about the size of a 5p piece. They are a deep red wine colour so even on mixed race skin would be obvious.

My niece had meningitis as a toddler. Her symptoms were fairly general, grumpy, warm and generally out of sorts. The rash developed within 24hrs of onset of the cold symptoms, which is a little unusual. Her consultant said it was probably the reason why she recovered quickly and only spent 5 days in hospital.

The early rash meant she was seen and treated rapidly, they started the antibiotics as soon as she arrived at A&E, she had a clear lumbar puncture the following day so the prompt action of my DSis and early antibiotics stopped the bacteria infecting her brain.

Although the symptoms are general initially it’s the speed with which they deteriorate that is the problem.

Of course not all infections will progress to full infection. Many will fight off the bacteria and not end up in hospital. If your DD has had all her vaccinations she will be protected and although may show some symptoms it may not progress any further.

Read up on what Michael Rosen says about the rash. He couldn't see it on his son because the places it appeared were armpits and groin.

I arrived at my brother’s house with a key seconds before they used a red battering ram on his door.

The cluster is now up to 34 confirmed and suspected cases, according to UKHSA.

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

The rash is distinctive, it looks more like purple/red bruising under the skin. Please look at www.meningitis.org or www.meningitisnow.org for a list of symptoms/pictures etc...both are Meningitis charities and have a wealth of information available.

You don't need to show every symptom and the rash doesn't always appear.

For me, the rash didn't appear until I was in hospital, and seriously ill.

If in doubt call 111 or straight to A&E if your child deteriorates.

I wonder if they are all still connected to the nightclub.

Looking at pictures, does the rash look rather like Measles?

Everything I have read suggests yes.

You don’t need a glass to do the ‘glass check’. Simply pull the skin taut to see if the rash blanches.
111 online is better than phoning.

No. Look up purpura rash and that's much more accurate.

I have babies born in 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2017. Only the youngest two got the fairly new vaccine.

Hope your DD is OK.

A case has been reported at St John Rigby College in Orrell.

111 said normal viral rash and miraculously she was back to her high energy self a couple of hours after the call.

@apeaceful2026 what a relief ! Being.a parent is never ending worry !
When you said no glass I did think of a window
..

Oh that is so funny, I wonder what anyone walking past would have thought as the rash was on her cheeks 🤣🤣🤣