LONDON: The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 20, health officials said on Wednesday, following an “unprecedented” deadly outbreak centred on a university.
The outbreak in Kent in southeastern England has claimed the lives of two young people -- a 21-year-old university student and an 18-year-old school student.
The focus of public health measures so far has been the University of Kent in the city of Canterbury, which has around 18,000 students, some of whom are among those hospitalised.
All the cases “link back” to a nightclub in the city -- Club Chemistry -- Health Minister Wes Streeting told parliament on Tuesday. One of the cases involved a patient who had been living in Kent, but who was taken ill in London.
Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection affecting the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and is most common in young children, teenagers and young adults.
“As of 5pm on 17 March, nine laboratory cases are confirmed and 11 notifications remain under investigation,” bringing the total to 20, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement, an increase of five.
Students at the university have been queueing this week for preventative antibiotics with four centres open in Canterbury.
A targeted meningitis B vaccination programme was also due to begin, authorities said Wednesday, with the jab initially being offered to 5,000 University of Kent students living on campus in Canterbury. The programme could be extended, the UKHSA added.
Meningitis, which can progress rapidly, is spread through prolonged close contact, including kissing or the sharing of vapes or drinks.
Initial symptoms such as headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck can be vague, however, hampering prompt diagnosis.
Six of the confirmed cases are of group B meningococcal disease, according to the UKHSA. The bacterial strain is rarer and deadlier than the viral type.
Family doctors nationwide have been told to
prescribe antibiotics to anyone attending their surgeries who visited Club Chemistry between March 5-7 and to University of Kent students “if they have been asked to seek preventative treatment”.
