Jeff Beck Dies Suddenly Of Bacterial Meningitis, Despite Anti-Covid-19 Vaccine Claims

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has died at age 78. A January 11 tweet from his Twitter account clearly indicated on behalf of his family that “after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday,” as can be seen here:

Note that this tweet from Beck’s account said absolutely nothing about Covid-19 vaccines. Yet, it didn’t take too long for a bunch of anti-vaccination social media accounts to play the same old song. They started claiming that Covid-19 vaccines were somehow responsible for the unfortunate passing of the eight-time Grammy winner Beck. For example, someone posted on YouTube a video entitled, “Jeff Beck Dies Suddenly? Another Vaccine Casualty of War?” And searching for “Jeff Beck vaccine” on social media would yielded a barrel of anti-vaccination slop as @Zimmsy suspected:

Some anti-vaccination accounts even tried to suggest that the bacterial meningitis was in some way due to the Covid-19 vaccine when there’s no real evidence linking the two, as mentioned by Brian Hiatt, a Senior Writer for Rolling Stone:

Yeah, all of these claims were a bit like water in a whisky bottle. They offered no proof, making assertions without that little thing called evidence. Instead, there was lot of conspiracy theory talk and attempts to stir up suspicion. Talk about a discord progression.

But this has been a standard refrain seemingly every time there’s news about someone dying from a sudden illness. Here’s how things typically go. Often, within an hour of the news, even before any real details about the death emerge, a merry band of anti-vaccination social media accounts will quickly jump to action blaming the Covid-19 vaccines in some manner. They’ve done it with Betty White, Bob Saget, Coolio, and Queen Elizabeth II. Looks like they are now doing the same with Beck, who had twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as tributes to his illustrious guitar-playing career, once as a member of The Yardbirds in 1992 and once as a solo artist in 2009.

Hate to break it to everyone, but there are lot of things that can cause sudden life-threatening illness in this world. That’s why medical textbooks are so thick. Heart attacks, strokes, burst aneurysms, and severe allergic reactions are just a few. Add a panoply of infectious disease to the list including Covid-19. So it is absurd to suggest that every death from sudden illness is automatically due to Covid-19 vaccines. Plus, dying from a sudden illness is not something new. It’s been happening for years upon years upon years, thousands and even millions of years before Covid-19 vaccines arrived on the scene. In fact, sudden illness used to be even more common before vaccines and antibiotics helped control what used to be some of the world’s deadliest infections.

Bacterial meningitis is one those things that can arise quite suddenly and can kill quickly. Some can even die within a few hours. Those who survive can be left with a number of different permanent disabilities such brain damage or hearing loss. Meningitis is a general term for inflammation of the meninges. The meninges are the membranes that wrap around your brain like wrapping paper around a Whopper. Lots of things including different microbes can cause meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is when, not surprisingly, a bacterial infection causes this inflammation. Common bacterial causes include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Group B Streptococcus, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli. None of these bacteria are good to have in your meninges. While some of these bacteria, such as E. coli and L. monocytogenes, can spread via food, the most common route is person-to-person contact via coughing, sneezing, or sharing saliva or spit.

You should consider meningitis if you have a sudden onset of fevers, headaches, and, in particular, a stiff neck, assuming that you aren’t wearing a really thick and tight turtle neck sweater. Be even more suspicious if there is also some combination of the following: nausea, vomiting, your eyes being particularly sensitive to light, confusion, seizures, or coma. Clearly, a coma is a very serious situation. You won’t hear to many people call you and say, “Hey I am in a coma right now so may be a bit late for dinner.”

If you suspect meningitis in any way, contact a doctor immediately. Don’t wait. Don’t try to walk or sleep it off or just drink a bunch of kombucha. The key to survival and to minimize long term disability is rapid diagnosis via finding evidence of bacteria in blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples. Once the type of bacteria is identified, doctors should quickly select and administer the proper antibiotic treatment.

Vaccines do have something to do with meningitis but not in the ways that the anti-vaccination accounts have been claiming about Beck. Vaccines can protect against certain types of bacterial infectiuons that can cause meningitis. Meningococcal vaccines can protect you against N. meningitidis. Pneumococcal vaccines can help guard against S. pneumoniae. Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib) vaccines can help prevent Hib infections. These vaccines aren’t 100% effective but can really reduce your risk of getting these types of meningitis.

Now, if any of your housemates or apartment mates develop meningitis from either N. meningitidis or Hib, don’t start licking all of their possessions. Instead, tell your doctor immediately. Your doctor may recommend taking prophylactic antibiotics to protect you just in case you have caught the bacteria.

When news of Beck’s death spread, many musical legends such as Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, and Susanna Hoffs offered their tributes on social media. Unfortunately, at the same time, there have been far too many social media accounts offering just the opposite: attempts to exploit Beck’s death in order to further their anti-vaccination agendas. And that folks, really strikes the wrong note and a nasty chord while Beck’s family, friends, and fans are mourning the death of this musical legend.