AIBU to get COVID flashbacks from the Meningitis Outbreak

[LawlessLeslie]

The students who think they have been in contact with the virus are queuing up for antibiotics. Those interviewed on the news, are saying once they have the medication they will be heading home.
So thousands of people in contact with something that has killed plan to move across the country.
I don’t expect the government to enforce lock down on anyone but it doesn’t seem like an ideal situation for the rest of the country.

Agreed. Think of the poor parents who have suffered losing a child.

i seriously wonder about people these days

Unless she is planning to spend time with a bunch of late teens/young adults in close communal living space, with regular nights out at the local night club then I think she will be fine.

Meningitis is passed on by very close contact such as kissing, sharing vapes, cigarettes, drinks bottles or glasses and possibly sex.
It is a problem for the uni age group because of their behaviour.

It is a problem in young babies because of their immature immune system and also for anyone who is immunosuppressed. But most immunosuppressed individuals are at risk from lots of stuff so are used to being careful.

Most unis are pretty hot on meningitis risk and students are given info packs from Meningitis Now. When DS arrived at halls in his first year I made sure that I pinned the info on his noticed board. We’ve had two cases of bacterial meningitis in our family so I’m a bit hyper vigilant about meningitis. I frequently reinforce the protocol and insist he contacts me if he is unwell. He very rarely complains about being unwell so I’m know if he contacts me it’s more than a common cold.

We’ve just been through 6 months of scabies treatment. Like most I believed the “ just a couple of treatments and all will be fine “ info on the NHS site. It has been more like 6 months of full blown chemical warfare.

You are way off

its not highly contagious - completely different

Because they are like you and letting their minds run away from them

@UpTheWomen very succinct advice is best Don’t snog a teenage stranger on a train and you’ll be grand. 😄

Exactly, from a practical standpoint they are better off being broken up and dispersed rather than remaining in halls, in close proximity, when spread will likely continue at a low level - easiest way to stop it is to dish out antibiotics and disperse.

This is true, which is why it is sensible to disperse the students rather than keeping them cooped up in halls, sharing cutlery / foods, snogging etc, all of which could keep it going.

This thread is idiotic.

Meningitis is actually not that uncommon in uni settings. This is nothing like Covid.

Most of us can remember serious meningitis outbreaks from our time at university, even if it was decades ago. They are unfortunate, but not uncommon.
If people spread ridiculous scaremongering nonsense, they deserve to be firmly put in their place and told to grow up.

I live in an area affected by this outbreak, and people are pulling their children out of school. In that respect it feels very much like covid times, as people are panicked. The difference is we have treatments for meningitis.

Check your child’s red book for which vaccines they have received. MenB is usually given at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 1 year alongside the various other vaccines.

Meningitis is known to go round universities.

There was quite a serious outbreak when I was at university in the early 2000’s.

Meningitis isn’t terribly easy to catch. You need to have close contact over quite a period of time. Someone walkingpast you in the street isn’t going to give it to you, even if they coughed whilst walking past you.

It goes through universities because of all the snogging, shagging, sharing glasses, sharing food etc etc.

Well the conspiracy theory people are out on social media already so…
apparently antibiotics can’t be given as a preventive thing, this is the new scare for people to get vaccines and having antibiotics when you’re not sick makes you immunocompromised. That was a brief summary of just one comments section
are people fucking mad or just dim?

Well to be fair whilst meningitis does have treatment it is a very very serious illness.
2 young people.have dies and 11 others are in serious condition in hospital.
The health board is dealing with this outbreak by
A. Preventative antibiotics to those deemed most at risks ie close contact, those in halls and schools with confirmed cases.
B. Raising awareness or symptoms to look out for and remind people that early medical.care is vital.

I don't think parents keeping children home is a crazy choice as families need to do what they think best with the info they have

Well I remember all the panicking on here and other social media platforms over monkey pox and people saying they were thinking of taking their children out of school etc so I’m not surprised!

The thing that really gave me flashbacks was watching the ill being transported by people in full PPE.
I don’t think it is a bad thing this is being reported and making everyone aware of how serious meningitis can be.
Why on earth don’t we have an NHS vaccination program to catch those teens who didn’t get vaccinated against MenB as infants?
Is everyone ok with the privileged paying boots et al for protection whilst less advantaged children take their chance?

Um, we do?!

Teenagers get the vaccine at 14 in school.

Teenagers get the ACWY vaccine at 14 not menengitis B which is responsible for the current outbreak.
The men B vaccine has only been around a few years and teenagers won't have had it unless their parents paid privately before they went to uni.

It IS the bacterial form though

We don't . For Men B, which this outbreak is

No it’s not highly transmissible. And no measles,mumps and rubella are not meningitis. Did she have the meningitis B vaccine as a baby?

Apologies, I hadn’t read the news today, yesterday they still hadn’t confirmed the strain.

The Men B vaccine doesn’t last long anyway though right? So even if they had had it as babies, it would be long gone out of their system by now.

I live in Kent and it is a worry. I don’t live anywhere nr the university though. However, I can see (and empathise) that it can bring up memories of the COVID pandemic. Try not to worry though, it is, as others have highlighted, a very different disease that isn’t as transmissible and it looks like they’ve responded fairly well.

😅 the way she was jumping around, refusing to sleep, last night, I might beg to differ!

Thank you - I'm a worrier

Ah okay - she had all her vaccinations iirc but hasn't had any boosters so will look into that

Scary isnt it, those poor families