The Off Topic Topic

[Tamas]

After Streeting's briefing on how it spreads, I have concluded that worries about the young generation not going out/mingling and not being promiscuous enough are grossly incorrect. 

[Sheilbh]

I haven't followed that. Does it matter if you got meningitis vaccine as a kid?

Looks like no, not unless you were born from 2015

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/18/meningitis-b-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=The%20MenB%20vaccine%20was%20added,part%20of%20the%20NHS%20schedule.

But I was being sort of tongue in cheek as the BBC has been breathlessly covering this. Streeting was right today that such coverage is causing undue alarm across the country.

I did not realise it was actually called MenB.

I thought it was a bit out of character but that you'd nick-named it - like the whole "panny d" thing

[garbon]

[The Minsky Moment]

Although I love the (I assume for security reasons) spectacularly vague map Lambeth Palace have released of her walk

Pretty sure Canterbury existed before 597.  There was a Roman town there.

[Sheilbh]

Although I love the (I assume for security reasons) spectacularly vague map Lambeth Palace have released of her walk

Pretty sure Canterbury existed before 597.  There was a Roman town there.

And I literally live less than 100m from the Old Kent Road which I feel is a clue.

Edit: 597 is when the Cathedral is founded/St Augustine arrives.

[Maladict]

That must be an AI generated map 

[Valmy]

Is she going to protect herself from MenB?

So what is the deal with this? This seems to be a joke for online UK people and is there some irrational panic going on? Or is there an actual bad situation and this is just typically British gallows humor?

[jimmy olsen]

When I was a kid, I wasn't a fan of snickers. It was just ok, something I'd eat if there wasn't another option.

I fucking love them now though. 

[jimmy olsen]

I just had these with a sandwhich my wife made and they were fantastic

[Richard Hakluyt]

Is she going to protect herself from MenB?

So what is the deal with this? This seems to be a joke for online UK people and is there some irrational panic going on? Or is there an actual bad situation and this is just typically British gallows humor?

I'm not sure at all. Meningitis has been in decline in the UK for a number of decades and was virtually absent for a couple of years during the covid years (for obvious reasons). What may be happening is that having gone away it is now national news if there is an outbreak. This is a general problem, as things become rarer then they become more newsworthy, leading the statistically illiterate part of the population (ie 90.73% of the total) to think things are getting worse.

Having said that it is a horrible disease that cuts people off in their youth. Back in my boarding school days my entire dorm got laid low with flu one year. It was a pleasurable skive for me, not so good for some of the others. But for one of us it was fatal; 17 years old, clever fellow, captain of the swimming team etc etc. Very tragic 

[HVC]

My aunt got infant  meningitis during a outbreak in the early 40s in portugal. She wasn't expected to live, but thankfully survived. Unfortunately she was left mentally handicapped. A sort of funny outcome is because she wasn't supposed to survive much thought wasn't given to her name so she ended up with the inverse of an older sisters name. Think two sisters, one Rose Marie and the other one Marie Rose.

[garbon]

Is she going to protect herself from MenB?

So what is the deal with this? This seems to be a joke for online UK people and is there some irrational panic going on? Or is there an actual bad situation and this is just typically British gallows humor?

A mix?

Like it is definitely terrible what has happened to those affected and I feel for their families.

At the same time, this has been headline news since two people died on Sunday. At times, it has managed to dethrone the Iran war as top story. As people realised this strain is not covered by the meningitis vaccine given to children (bar those born from 2015 onward), then people started frantically looking for vaccines who were not anywhere near Kent. Comparisons are popping up to COVID even though it is nothing like that situation.  So their is certainly a ridiculous element to it.

Personally, it is one of the few times that my husband's university for undergrad has ever been mentioned in the news. That adds a sense of mirth.