**NB** Please Read

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Just to get serious for a moment…

In case any students at LetterKenny IT haven’t heard, unfortunately a student has died as a result of contracting meningitis. AFAIK, the college is trying to ensure anyone who may have been in contact with the young man to make sure they either contact the college directly or visit your GP for a precautionary checkup.

I know we have some LIT students on the boards, so this is just in case any of you have been unaware of the events and their gravity.

Of course, on behalf of everyone here I would like to express my sympathy w/ his family, friends and colleagues. By all reports it seems to have been so sudden and unexpected.

MiCr0

Meningitis death prompts calls for vaccinations

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Thx Micro for the link.

I was in a bit of a hurry earlier and meant to post a link meself

cheers:)

Mr.Applepie

Does anyone know the name of the guy/gal that died? I know some people up there so...?

MiCr0

from above link

About 2,000 students have been urged to have vaccinations against meningitis after a 21-year-old man died from the disease in Co Donegal.

Mr Maurice McMenamin, a second-year student at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT), Co Donegal, died after being struck by meningococcal meningitis on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at Letterkenny General Hospital last night after failing to respond to treatment, said the North Western Health Board.

A medical team has travelled to Letterkenny Institute and is offering vaccinations to the 2,000 students.

Mr McMenamin's close friends and family were receiving treatment to ensure that they do not develop the illness, said a health board spokesman.

Doctors were strongly advising youngsters to have vaccinations against the deadly strains B and C of the disease that are available under a nationwide health strategy, he said.

Letterkenny Institute of Technology said in a statement that those who had had "casual contact" with Mr McMenamin were in no danger of contracting the disease.

It said: "Staff and students of Letterkenny Institute of Technology express sincere condolences to the family of Maurice McMenamin on his untimely death.

"Immediately following notification of Maurice's illness health board staff and the medical service of LYIT began tracing all persons who were in direct contact with Maurice.

"Appropriate treatment has been administered to those direct contacts. As part of an ongoing programme, a vaccination session for students aged up to 23 has been planned for today. This will continue for as long as necessary".

Doc

My friend took a meningitis vaccination and has suffered a nerves breakdown and brain damage as a result of the vaccination.

There is no way in hell I will get this vaccination! :mad:

Robbo

I got the vaccine last year, and nothing happened to me Doc.

Remember what germ factories lecture halls are, 300 ppl in the same room, the way you always get a cold/flu within weeks of going back to college....

phobos

OMG!

This meningitis virus is getting waay out of control. First and foremost I would like to pay my respects to the McMenamin family for their loss.

On another note, with regards to the vaccine. I haven't actually heard of any radical side effects from it (apart from Doc's friend. Sorry to hear that mate). I for one have not yet recieved the vaccine, but considered getting it. Having heard of the possibility of side effects, I might have a sit down chat with my GP first.

Perhaps BTUO has something informative to add to this topic..

;-phobos-)

Static

Sorry to hear about your friend doc, but did he/his family take the health board to court? You definately don't get any warnings about that in all their literature. Sure it just wasn't a side effect that could have happened as a result of any vaccination he got?

Anyway, I got the vaccine. I thought about it. I know it only protects against some of the strains of the meningococcal virus.
But the bigger picture is, that if you don't care about yourself, what if you get it? What if you pass it on to your friends? your family? Your boy/girlfriend?