‘Unprecedented in spread’: UK races to contain deadly meningitis outbreak

2026.03.19 02:50 People queue to receive vaccinations at the University of Kent campus. Photo: Reuters Britain will ⁠roll out meningitis vaccines to students at a university in southeast England after an “unprecedented” outbreak of the disease killed two people while the number of new cases jumped to 20. The UK Health Security Agency said all those affected were young people. A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in ‌the town of Faversham have died. Six of the nine confirmed cases are group B (MenB), the agency added. It was also aware of a baby with a confirmed MenB infection who is not currently linked to the outbreak. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as “unprecedented in its spread”. Club Chemistry nightclub, which is linked to the ongoing meningitis outbreak in Kent. Photo: Reuters Britain has offered a MenB vaccine to infants since 2015, meaning most current university students are unlikely to have received it. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the risk of invasive meningococcal disease to the ⁠general population in the European Union and European Economic Area is “very low”. France has reported one case of IMD in a person possibly linked ‌to the same outbreak, the agency said. Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia can include fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting, and cold hands and feet. Septicaemia can also cause a characteristic rash that ‌does not fade when pressed with a glass. Young people attending university or college are particularly at risk because they ⁠mix with other students, some of ⁠whom may be unknowingly carrying the bacteria in their noses and throats. The majority of cases were linked to the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury between March 5–7, Streeting ‌said. The UKHSA said it had administered around 2,500 doses of antibiotics across sites in Kent. “As a further precaution, and together with the NHS, we

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