Nightclub patrons urged to get tested

BERLIN: Patrons of a famed nightclub in the German capital are being told to immediately visit a doctor to be checked for bacterial meningitis as they may have been exposed to the life-threatening illness on the dance floor.

Berlin media outlets reported yesterday that a KitKatClub visitor is suffering from meningitis likely contracted at the downtown club on Saturday.

The KitKatClub is renowned for its sexually-uninhibited techno parties that draw visitors from around the world.

City authorities issued a warning this week after being alerted to the Berlin patron’s exposure to the disease, urging all others who were at the club at the time to consult with a doctor.

Bacterial meningitis can be spread via saliva and close body contact. Common symptoms include severe headaches, high fever, a stiff neck, dizziness and weakness. The disease can become life-threatening within hours.

In a statement on its home page, the club itself said that “while further infections in the club were very unlikely according to doctors and authorities ... anybody suffering from symptoms should immediately see a doctor”.

The club said that none of its employees had shown any symptoms so far, but all had been offered antibiotics as a preventive measure. It was not immediately clear if the club had been shut down temporarily.