Meningitis Kent outbreak latest: Students queue for antibiotics after two die and 13 cases reported

Dr Zina Alfahl Lecturer in Bacteriology at the University of Galway explained that for the general public in Kent or across the UK, the overall risk remains very low.

But she stressed teenagers and young adults are at a higher-risk.

“That’s partly because many people in this age group carry the bacteria in the nose or throat without symptoms, and it spreads through close contact such as coughing, kissing, or sharing drinks,” she said.

“University environments — halls of residence, parties, and large social networks — create conditions where the bacteria can spread more easily. That’s why vaccination programmes and rapid public-health responses often focus on students and young adults when clusters occur.”

Early warning signs of meningitis include:

• High temperature
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Muscle pain
• Stomach cramps

As the condition develops it can cause:

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Severe muscle pain
• Pale blotchy skin, spots or a rash
• Stiff neck
• A dislike of bright lights
• Convulsions or seizures

An epidemiologist has reassured that the overall risk to people in the Kent area is low, but teenagers and students are at a higher risk.

Prof Keith Neal, Retired Professor of the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, University of Nottingham, said: “Risk to those in the Kent area is low although this is a community outbreak so there is a small risk; I suspect in the older teenage and student groups. Under 5s are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell with meningitis but teenagers and students are at a higher risk due to social mixing.”

“Determining the strain will help tell us what vaccine might be useful; a PCR test will be able to do this,” he added.

The MenACWY jab is offered to teenagers, sixth-form students and new university students to protect against several strains of meningitis.

But experts have warned that almost a third of students are not vaccinated.

“Uptake of the ACWY vaccine among adolescents is around 73 per cent, so there are a lot of unvaccinated students given the size of the student cohort,” Andrew Preston, Professor of Microbial Pathogenicity at University of Bath said.

He explained an outbreak of this size and speed is “very unusual and of great concern”.

“It is important to characterise the cause of the outbreak. A sudden change in disease pattern could indicate something like a new strain with different behaviours. It will be important to ascertain the vaccination status of those affected,” he added.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had been notified of 13 cases with signs and symptoms of meningitis from Friday to Sunday in the Canterbury area of Kent.

Some students at the University of Kent have been given antibiotics while others are in hospital.

However, the specific strain of meningitis has not yet been identified.

Dr Zina Alfahl Lecturer in Bacteriology at the University of Galway explained the strain will need to be identified by testing patient samples in a lab, this could be blood or cerebrospinal fluid.

She said: “Specialist reference laboratories can determine the serogroup of the bacteria and sequence its genome. That information is extremely useful because it tells public-health teams whether the cases are linked, which strain is circulating, and whether targeted vaccination or other interventions might help stop further spread.”

A local nightclub has said it has been contacted by officials to try and trace people who may be affected by the meningitis outbreak.

Louise Jones-Roberts, owner of Club Chemistry in Canterbury, said the venue had been contacted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the hope of tracing anyone affected.

“We have been told somebody was in our club at the weekend who has since been diagnosed with meningitis,” she said.

“They have asked us if we have any methods for tracing who has been in to us.

“We have an ID scanner but that is more of a security measure… It takes pictures of some driving licences, ID cards and on so on.

“We’ve got tickets for events so we could trace ticket holders, but most people pay on the door.”

She said her thoughts were with the families of those affected by the meningitis outbreak.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “I can’t imagine what the families are going through.

“Our thoughts are with the families. Meningitis affects healthy, young people and this is devastating.

“We will stay closed until we get further advice from the UKHSA.”

Long queues could be seen at the University of Kent’s Senate building on Monday morning as students waited for antibiotics.

Some students at the university have already been given antibiotics while others are in hospital.

Not all 16,000 students at the university will be given antibiotics, only those who are regarded as “close contacts” of those affected.

A school pupil is the second person to have died following an outbreak of meningitis in Kent.

The student was in Year 13 at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham and is understood to have died on Saturday.

The other person who died attended the University of Kent.