‘My daughter caught meningitis from sharing a vape on an evening out’ | UK | News | EUROtoday

A mom has issued a warning in regards to the dangers of sharing vapes after her daughter was hospitalised with meningitis simply days after an evening out. Khali Goodwin, from Herne Bay in Kent, mentioned her 21-year-old daughter Keeleigh was rushed to hospital after abruptly growing extreme signs together with a excessive fever, chills, vomiting and a debilitating headache.

Keeleigh, who lives in shared lodging in Canterbury, started feeling unwell on Saturday night earlier than her situation quickly worsened. Her housemate found she was significantly sick and referred to as an ambulance, which took her to A&E shortly earlier than midnight.

“She was very, very hot, then very cold, she had an almighty bad headache and was being sick,” Khali instructed The Sun. “I just thought she had Covid, and said you need to sleep it off. Then she said her body was stiff but again, I never thought meningitis could be an option, because she’d had all her vaccinations.

“The next thing I knew, I woke up the next morning with voicemails on my phone from A&E, telling me that she was in there. Keeleigh, who works in McDonald’s in Canterbury, has since been diagnosed with meningitis B, the bacterial strain that is not covered by the vaccine teenagers get when they are in Year 9.

“Luckily she lives in shared accommodation. The girl who found her rang an ambulance, which got there really quick,” Khali added. “If it wasn’t for that girl, she wouldn’t be here. She was really bad.

“I never, in a million trillion years, ever thought it would be this. Never.”

Doctors later diagnosed Keeleigh with Meningitis B, a potentially life-threatening infection that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Khali said the diagnosis came as a shock to the family, particularly as Keeleigh had previously received routine meningitis vaccinations at school. However, the jab offered to teenagers does not protect against all strains of the disease.

The concerned mother believes her daughter may have been exposed to the infection during a recent night out. Keeleigh had been socialising with friends and sharing a vape device, which her mother fears may have allowed bacteria to spread.

Although vaping itself is not listed as a direct transmission route for meningitis, health experts say the infection can be passed through close contact, including sharing objects that come into contact with saliva.

Professor Andrew Preston said sharing a contaminated vape could spread bacteria in a way similar to sharing utensils or drinks.

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The bacteria that cause meningitis often live harmlessly in the throat, but in rare cases, they can enter the bloodstream and infect the protective membranes around the brain.

Another expert, Simon Clarke, said crowded venues such as nightclubs can sometimes become “super-spreader” environments the place infections move between folks in shut proximity.

Keeleigh is now recovering in hospital and is expected to remain there for at least a week while doctors continue treatment. Her mother said she has begun to improve after several difficult days, although she remains shaken by the experience.

Public health officials are now closely monitoring the situation. The UK Health Security Agency has advised anyone who visited the Canterbury nightclub earlier in March to seek medical advice and, where appropriate, receive preventative antibiotics.

Specialists are also contacting the close contacts of confirmed cases to limit the potential spread of the infection.

Health authorities say anybody experiencing signs resembling extreme headache, fever, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion or sensitivity to mild ought to search pressing medical assist, as meningitis can progress quickly with out remedy.