100 People Seek Treatment After Man Infected with Bacterial Meningitis Visits Sex Club in Berlin

Patrons who visited Berlin’s Kit Kat Club on Saturday were encouraged to seek treatment after a man who had also been in attendance that night was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

After visiting a doctor on Monday, the man was quickly diagnosed with the disease and prescribed antibiotics for treatment, according to Bild newspaper.

Patrick Larscheid, director of the Reinickendorf health department, also told the newspaper that the man had contact with two women in the club, who had both been given antibiotics that same day.

The Reinickendorf health department also issued a statement on Tuesday, encouraging everybody who visited the club on Saturday to go to the emergency room or a see a doctor to receive medical treatment.

The Kit Kat Club said over 100 people sought treatment, according to the BBC.

The State Office for Health and Social Affairs Berlin announced on Thursday that no new cases had been reported, although several hundred people had sought medical treatment, according to Bild newspaper.

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The nightclub shares a name with the club at the center of the Broadway musical and 1972 movie Cabaret. On Saturday, the club hosted a “CarneBall Bizarre” party, according to its Facebook page, with a dress code of “fetish, patent and leather, uniforms, TV, goth, costumes, evening wear, glitz & glamour, extravagant clothes.”

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, The Kit Kat Club said none of its employees exhibited any symptoms of bacterial meningitis but had still been offered antibiotics as a precaution. The club also shared that while they understood people’s concerns, there was no justification for people who had visited the club before Saturday — or were planning on visiting in the future — to have any fear about contracting bacterial meningitis.

The club will be open this weekend.

Death from meningitis, an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (called meninges), can occur in just a few hours, according to the CDC, and while most people recover, they may be left with permanent impairments such as brain damage, hearing loss and learning disabilities. Bacterial meningitis caused 500 deaths in about 4,100 cases in the United States each year between 2003 and 2007.

According to the CDC, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and confusion. These signs can develop over the course of several days, usually appearing in three to seven days after exposure.

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