Meningitis B latest: Health chiefs issue alert to NHS staff as outbreak spreads to second university

Experts say they are dealing with a “super-spreader” event and that many of those affected attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury over 5-7 March.

The infection has also spread through the halls of residence at the university and parties attended by students.

UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said: “There will have been some parties particularly around this, so there will have been lots of social mixing.

“I can’t yet say where the initial infection came from, how it’s got into this cohort, and why it’s created such an explosive amount of infections.”

She said that in her 35 years of working in medicine, healthcare and hospitals, it was the highest number of cases she had seen in a single weekend with this type of infection.

“It’s the explosive nature that is unprecedented here,” she said.

Meningococcal disease is caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. Although many people can carry the bacteria harmlessly in their nose or throat, very occasionally it invades the bloodstream or central nervous system and causes life-threatening illness. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.

Meningococcal disease spreads through close contact with respiratory droplets. This could be through kissing, sharing drinks or utensils, and coughing and sneezing. This is what makes the risk higher in settings where people live, study and socialise closely together, such as university campuses.

Outbreaks such as the recent one in Kent, especially in communal settings like universities or schools, are less common than individual sporadic cases. While the overall risk remains low, the proportion of cases among young adults and students is higher than in older age groups simply because of the social mixing and living arrangements typical of school and university life.

Health experts say if you notice a friend showing any concerning signs – especially rapid worsening over hours – take them seriously and seek medical help immediately.

In the UK, that means contacting NHS 111 for advice or calling 999 if they are seriously unwell.

Check on your friend regularly, don’t dismiss symptoms as “just a hangover” and err on the side of urgency when in doubt. Early treatment with antibiotics can be lifesaving.

For people seeking vaccines privately, Boots has implemented a queuing system to enter its website, with a warning that demand for its menB vaccination service is currently high.

Superdrug has also created a waiting list, with a note on its website informing customers of a “national shortage” of the jab. It said it is “working with suppliers to access further stock”.

A course of two to three doses is recommended, priced at £110 per dose.

A spokesperson for Superdrug told PA: “At Superdrug, bookings at our nurse clinics for our meningitis service this week have surged to 65 times the level seen last week.”

At Boots, the vaccination service is for adults and children aged two and over costing £220 for two doses.

At Well Pharmacy, the vaccine is available for children from the age of two months and adults aged up to 50.

The course includes two to three doses, depending on age, at £110 each.

The UKHSA stressed there are plenty of NHS stocks of menB vaccines after pharmacies reported they were struggling to obtain stock for people who want to pay privately.

Within 20 minutes of the vaccination centre at the University of Kent opening, and eligible students receiving the invitation email, a queue wrapping around the building had formed.

Security walked along the queue handing out blue face masks and telling students that they would not be allowed into the building without one.

One student who arrived about an hour after the vaccination centre opened was shocked by the length of the queue.

Canter Bonny, 19, said: “I didn’t expect it to be this long this quickly and it’s not getting any shorter. I may have to leave and come back again tomorrow.

“It’s really scary because the meningitis outbreak is very close to my house and my mum said I should come and get the jab.”

He said his family were worried about him staying on campus.

The computer science student said: “My mum has called me every day telling me to come home. I’ve come here today because she wants me to have the right precautions first before coming home.”