Berlin nightclub patrons urged to get meningitis test

Berlin authorities on Thursday urged patrons of a famed nightclub in the German capital to immediately visit a doctor to be checked for bacterial meningitis after a visitor was hospitalized for the illness.

The patient likely contracted meningitis at the downtown club on Saturday, officials said.

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 are strong 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 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.

City officials said there was no need to shut down the club because it wasn’t the source of infection, and the site itself was not contaminated.