On Wednesday the 12th, someone with meningococcal meningitis went to Pint Night.
While this bacterial infection can be dangerous, it’s also not the easiest to spread around. A statement from the University described that “it passes from person to person by regular close, prolonged contact”, which is good because that’s something we’ve never experienced in Dunedin.
It was the last Pint Night of the year. Leo was there, but when we asked him about the night, he said “sorry, as usual I don’t remember much”. Can’t disagree with that. Amelia was also there, and when she heard the news she simply asked “wtf do we do now?”
While the pits of Pint Night might seem like the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, it’s worth noting that “contact with saliva from the front of the mouth, teeth or lips rarely passes the bacteria on.” Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Or, as Amelia put it: “Didn’t they say you could only get it if you necked with the chick who had it?” Leo replied he should be “sweet” since the “only thing I was necking was pints”.
Explaining his own indifference to the news, another pint-nighter said they would be “more concerned if I didn’t have a raging marijuana addiction that has been at the forefront of my health issues for the past month.” Fair enough.
The Uni has advised students like Amelia and Leo to watch out for flu-like symptoms, which this disease can often be mistaken for. Still, while the risk of infection may be “very low”, they urged students to be vigilant about their health. It’s quite a nasty bug, after all.