Meningitis outbreak kills two at University of Kent and schools
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- First seen: March 17, 2026 at 12:03 AM UTC
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- Last updated: March 20, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTC
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The Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why?
What causes meningitis, what the public health response has been and how the situation differs from Covid The deadly outbreak of meningitis in Kent has fuelled concerns about how far the disease will spread and seen the return of people wearing masks and queueing for vaccines. The scenes are reminiscent of the Covid crisis, but meningitis is very different. Here we look at how the outbreak unfolded. Continue reading...
The Guardian WorldMarch 20, 2026 at 11:42 AM UTCMeningitis vaccine eligibility expanded after Kent outbreak rises to 27
Anyone who was at Club Chemistry in Canterbury from 5 March to 15 March advised to get antibiotics and vaccination The government has announced a major expansion in vaccination against meningitis in Kent after seven new cases of the disease were confirmed in the county, taking the total number of cases to 27. On a visit to the University of Kent, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said anyone who attended the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury from 5 March until 15 March should come forward for antibiotics and vaccination. Continue reading...
The Guardian WorldMarch 19, 2026 at 04:46 PM UTCUK meningitis outbreak cases rise to 27
The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 27, health officials said Thursday, following an unprecedented deadly outbreak centred on a university. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement: “15 laboratory cases are confirmed and 12 notifications remain under investigation, bringing the total to 27”. Two people have died since the epidemic came to light at the weekend, centred on the University of Kent in southeastern Canterbury and a local nightclub popular with students. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has led urgent calls for young people who visited the nightclub on the weekend of the outbreak to come forward, adding health experts were working to identify close contacts of those who were ill. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, he asked “anyone who attended Club Chemistry on March, 5, 6th or 7th to come forward, please, to receive antibiotics”. The university has rolled out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B — a deadly bacterial strain — for some 5,000 students. Hundreds of students queued at the campus on Wednesday to get the jab. The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 27, authorities confirmed on Thursday, amid fears the disease could spread as students head home for the Easter vacation. French authorities also reported one case involving a person in France, who had attended the University of Kent. Cases have also been confirmed in students at four schools in Kent, as well as one student at a higher education institution in London, the UK health authorities said. The two deaths in the outbreak have been identified as an 18-year-old schoolgirl and 21-year-old University of Kent student. What is meningitis Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection which can lead to sepsis if it affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is most common in young children, teenagers and young adults. Initial symptoms of meningitis include headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck — but those are symptoms of different illnesses and can hamper prompt diagnosis. It can progress rapidly, with another sign often being a rash, and is spread through prolonged close contact, including kissing or the sharing of vapes or drinks. At least nine 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. 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”.
DawnMarch 19, 2026 at 11:36 AM UTC‘Unprecedented in spread’: UK races to contain deadly meningitis outbreak
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...
SCMP WorldMarch 19, 2026 at 02:38 AM UTCBritain hit by ‘unprecedented’ meningitis outbreak, two students dead
Britain has been hit by an “unprecedented” meningitis outbreak, the country’s health minister warned Tuesday after two students died from catching a rare bacterial strain of the disease. So far, 15 cases have been reported. The outbreak has been linked to a Canterbury nightclub.
France 24 WorldMarch 17, 2026 at 02:35 PM UTCMeningitis in fatal Kent outbreak identified as less-targeted strain B
UKHSA says strain involved in outbreak that has killed two people is one that most people are not vaccinated against Government scientists have identified the type of meningitis behind a fatal outbreak in Kent as a strain that most people have not be vaccinated against. Gayatri Amirthalingam, the deputy director of immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said tests showed it was the bacterial strain B of the disease, as pharmacies warned that vaccines against this strain are running low. Continue reading...
The Guardian WorldMarch 17, 2026 at 11:14 AM UTCMeningitis outbreak at University of Kent and three schools kills two young people with 11 in hospital
Deaths of student and sixth-former named as Juliette announced as long queues for antibiotics form at Canterbury campus A university and three schools have been struck by an outbreak of invasive meningitis that has killed two young people and left 11 others in hospital. One of the young people to have died was a student at the University of Kent, while the second was a sixth-former at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school (QEGS) in Faversham. Continue reading...
The Guardian WorldMarch 16, 2026 at 07:21 PM UTC