Two young people have died and at least 20 young adults are believed to have been infected in an outbreak of meningococcal disease in southeast England. Wes Streeting, the country’s health secretary, has called the outbreak unprecedented.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, expressed his sympathy to the families of the two young people who died and the others who are seriously ill, saying that it was “a deeply difficult time.” Here’s what we know.
Where is the outbreak and who has been impacted?
The outbreak is centered in Kent, a county in southeastern England that includes the city of Canterbury. By Wednesday, some 20 cases had been identified, according to a statement from the U.K. Health Security Agency. One student at the University of Kent has died and an 18-year-old student at a high school outside Canterbury died on Saturday, the BBC reported.
At least 10 cases have been traced back to Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury frequented by students from the nearby University of Kent. Doctors across the country have been advised to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited the club between March 5 and 7.
Cases of meningitis are not uncommon — there are about 300 reported each year in Britain — but a large, fast-moving outbreak like this is unusual, experts said.
What is meningitis B?
Six of the 20 cases of meningitis in Kent were confirmed to be “group B” meningococcal disease.
Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria that come in several strains. B and C are the strains that most commonly cause disease in Britain. The disease can present as meningitis, which is an inflammation of the brain and spinal membranes, and as septicemia, an infection in the bloodstream.
Both are serious and potentially life-threatening. Around one in 20 people who develop meningococcal disease will die, according to the Oxford Vaccine Group, and death rates are higher for teenagers and young adults.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet. Distinct symptoms include a stiff neck and sensitivity to light. Septicemia can cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass.
Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly, and early symptoms can often be mistaken for other illnesses such as the flu or even a hangover.
How is the disease spread?
Meningitis B, the strain identified in Kent, is spread through close or sustained personal contact. Mr. Streeting said that kissing, sharing drinks, sharing vapes or living in shared housing put students at higher risk for the disease.
Dr. Eliza Gil of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said in a statement on Tuesday that there are cases of meningitis B every year, and they often occur in adolescents and young adults. The bacteria is carried in the throat.
Students “are exposed to a lot of different people in very close proximity, both through their studies and the way they live,” Dr. Gil said. But she noted that people should be reassured that “risk is still low to people who have not had very close contact with anyone in the affected community.”
There have been some local media reports of a baby in Kent with a confirmed meningitis B infection. The British health security agency said it was investigating the infant’s case, but that it is not currently linked to the outbreak.
Can antibiotics and vaccination help?
Close contacts of the people known to have the disease in Kent, as well as all students in University of Kent housing, have been given precautionary antibiotics to target the meningitis B bacteria.
Mr. Streeting said that people could take reassurance from the fact that contact tracing had been carried out, and that antibiotics had been offered proactively, adding, “In 90 percent of cases, this is an effective treatment.”
Since 2015, babies and young children in Britain have been offered vaccination against meningitis B as part of the National Health Service’s routine program. But older generations of young people, including those in Kent, would not have been routinely vaccinated.
Because of the severity of the outbreak, a targeted vaccination program will begin in the coming days for students living on the Canterbury campus at the University of Kent. The vaccine’s protection is not immediate — immunity develops in around two weeks.
Dr. Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said in an emailed statement that the targeted vaccination program is “sensible” and that the prescribed antibiotics “are highly effective as a preventative measure.”
Vaccination has greatly reduced meningitis cases and deaths in Britain in recent years. A Meningitis C vaccine, introduced in 1999, led to group C cases falling by over 90 percent, according to official public health data.
But Dr. Head noted that it is likely that more cases will be identified as part of the Kent outbreak in the coming days, as well as unrelated cases elsewhere in Britain.
Michael D. Shear contributed reporting.
Megan Specia reports on Britain, Ireland and the Ukraine war for The Times. She is based in London.
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