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Episode Notes
Health chiefs have identified 13 cases of meningitis since 13 March, it's been revealed. The UK Health Security Agency said the number included two people who have since died. One of the deceased was Juliette, a student at the Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham, the school's headteacher confirmed. The other was a student at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Another case has been confirmed at the Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, which reported a pupil in Year 13 was in hospital with meningitis.
Reader Version
In this episode of Project Scientist, host Prodigy shares a personal and somber update about a meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, England, where he currently studies physics. He reports that since mid March, 13 cases of meningitis have been identified in the area, including two fatalities: one student from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham and another from the University of Kent in Canterbury. Prodigy expresses sympathy for the families affected and reflects on the unpredictability of life and disease. He explains that the meningitis bacteria spreads through close contact, such as coughing and sneezing, which has caused concern among local communities.
In response, thousands of people in Kent have sought antibiotics to reduce their risk of infection. Prodigy emphasizes the importance of vaccinations, noting that while many receive meningitis shots early in life, booster shots are necessary to maintain protection. Throughout the episode, Prodigy connects the outbreak to his broader passion for science and the STEM fields. He argues that having more dedicated science professionals could help combat diseases like meningitis and improve public health outcomes. He also philosophizes about the challenges posed by nature, describing it as a harsh force that humans must learn to protect themselves against.
Beyond the outbreak, Prodigy outlines his vision for the podcast as a documentation of his journey toward a STEM career. He plans to share his experiences learning physics, coding, and other scientific disciplines, inviting listeners to follow along and engage with his progress. He hopes to build a community of like minded individuals interested in science and technology. Prodigy encourages interaction from his audience, asking for feedback on topics they find interesting and expressing a desire to motivate others who may struggle with studying or practicing STEM skills alone. He envisions the podcast as a supportive space for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
In closing, Prodigy thanks his initial follower and sets an ambitious goal of reaching 100 followers by the end of the year. He signs off with optimism, inviting listeners to join him on this scientific journey despite the difficult news that opened the episode.
Automatic Transcript
What's going on peeps? It's your host Prodigy and I've got something to talk to you guys about. You know, it's not easy attempting to be something that, you know, you didn't think much in your life that you'd want to be. As you can see, I'm in a lab, you know, nicely decorated. Look, this place costs a lot of money, by the way, you know, nothing here is cheap. I am attempting to be a future scientist, okay, which is why I titled this podcast Project Scientist, because it's my journey, our journey, if you click the follow button now, I've only got one follower now, but click the follow button now to make it two, then three, then four, right, into becoming some form of STEM career person, okay?
Now, I've got some bad news or update news that I want to talk to you guys about, including what has to do with the, you know, podcast and reality. So let me just go ahead and pull up my chair, okay? All right. So once again, welcome to Project Scientist. I am Prodigy, your host. And to be honest, it isn't looking good, because the first episode in this podcast, in terms of my consistency towards my journey of becoming a scientist, starts off quite negative, okay? This is about the meningitis outbreak in the area of Canterbury, which is located in England. Now, as you know, once again, I'm a student residing in that area, actually, and I'm studying physics. Now, unfortunately, once again, two people have died.
Rest in peace to them and condolences to their family. It's never easy to have, you know, the news that someone in your family's passed away, let alone a child that has gone to university to, you know, better their future aspects. I think it's quite unfair, but in the world of science, in the world of life, things are very unpredictable. This is an outbreak because a lot of people have been, you know, very close proximity towards those victims, and because it's spread through coughing, sneezing, you know what I'm saying, viral air, a lot of people are getting scared, and a lot of people have been infected and administered to hospital. Now, as of right now, two people have died, okay?
And 11 people, such as 13, have been administered to the hospital for this disease, such bacterial disease. Today, as of today, in Kent, there's been thousands of people on campuses and on outside campuses, such as people with families and actually outside working citizens coming onto campus to get the 16,000 amount of antibacterial formula, which is the antibiotics to stop the disease from spreading, or should I say, lower your chances.
Now, when it comes to the science field, I really do think, you know, we all need more STEM science field capable students slash professionals, because if we had more of this, then we could have people that are passionate about eradicating certain diseases that have been, for years now, affecting human beings. Whether it's such a small amount of people, because we're in the UK and we've been able to, like, get rid of a lot of things, there's still a percentage of people still getting things such as, like, the meningitis.
When you're born, you tend to get this injection so that you don't get it, just like a tetanus shot, for example, but you need to be updated on your shots as well, so that there's very lower chances of you getting these type of, like, diseases and then progressing and so on and so forth. Mother Nature has to be probably the most cruelest mother out of the whole of the entire universe, and we are literally living within her. So, we need to protect ourselves, not because Mother hates us, but because Mother has her own issues, do you know what I'm saying? And as her subjects, we need to be able to protect ourselves and also protect her too.
Now, my next area of topic, in terms of the conversation of where I would love to lead this podcast, this podcast is a journey of my representation of what it's taken me to become a scientist. Now, whether it's software development, eugenics, physicists, electronics, I want to be all of this, okay? Not necessarily all of this in terms of, you know, everything, maybe, maybe I want to be like a little Rick Sanchez, who knows? But I have to know that this, for me, feels right, so I'll follow those type of paths.
I am going to be documenting possibly the lessons that I'm in, my exams, well, not exactly the exams, but, you know, the routine of how I'm going to revise for the exams, the topics, subjects that I'm learning, you know. I'm also going to be documenting me creating something, practicing something. Right now, I'm in the beginner stage, so this is the perfect time for anyone who's interested in science, whether it's coding or something like that, to follow, because I will be also doing things such as that. Okay, it wouldn't be every single time, but you will see videos here and there, me coding. I'll probably try and do it as a series or something.
Maybe there's someone out there who wants to watch everything that I'm doing in terms of coding, and you just want to feel like, you know, you're doing it with someone who's also motivating you to do it, because you don't find it easy doing things by yourself, and that's perfectly fine. But you have to let me know in the comment section of your interests and if something that I'm doing interests you, because you want to follow along, okay? So everything science that I'm into, everything, you know, electronics that I'm into, biology that I'm into, everything that has to do with news updates and just science as a general whole, I'm going to be documenting and, you know, giving my take on it, okay?
My name is Prodigy, all right? We've already got one follower so far, so shout out to that one follower who decided to follow because he took interest and he could see the vision, okay? My formats will be more or less like this, you know, in the lab, talking to you guys, and I hope to see this page, particularly this podcast, Project Scientist, to grow with like minded individuals who are also interested in science, but not only science, the STEM field, okay? Thank you very much for tuning in, turn on notifications, and let's make a cheeky aim of a goal of, let's say, 100 by the end of this year. Take care, once more, and I'm out. Peace. It's Prodigy.
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