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It is each parent’s worst nightmare. University students enjoying themselves astatine a nightclub, only to autumn sick a fewer days later pinch a perchance deadly illness. So far, 2 young group person died and much are earnestly unwell successful infirmary aft a meningitis outbreak successful Kent, which appears to person started astatine Club Chemistry successful Canterbury successful early March. Health authorities person launched a awesome response: 30,000 group person been fixed antibiotics and up to 5,000 University of Kent students will person a meningitis B vaccine, nan strain that is believed to beryllium down nan outbreak.
The wellness secretary, Wes Streeting, has urged calm, explaining that nan consequence of transmission is low, urging students to support going to schoolhouse and insisting that group do not request to activity backstage vaccinations. But that has not stopped a unreserved for jabs, causing a nationalist shortage. The precocious thoroughfare pharmacies Boots and Superdrug opportunity they person seen a awesome spike successful bookings, pinch immoderate locations moving retired of stock.
To amended understand nan outbreak, I said pinch Prof Andrew Preston, an master connected nan illness and a professor of microbial pathogenicity astatine nan University of Bath. But first, nan headlines.
Five large stories
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Middle East | Israel struck Iran’s elephantine South Pars gasfield connected Wednesday, marking a major escalation of nan war, hours aft Israeli forces killed nan regime’s intelligence curate and launched immoderate of nan astir aggravated airstrikes successful Beirut for decades.
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Reform UK | Nigel Farage called for nan merchandise of Sean “Diddy” Combs and commended nan efforts to free a erstwhile Honduran president jailed successful nan US for supplier trafficking. The remarks were made connected nan personalised video level Cameo.
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Assisted dying | Senior ministers judge Keir Starmer will not intervene to springiness nan assisted dying measure further clip successful parliament arsenic he is wary of opening up caller divisions among Labour MPs.
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Media | The erstwhile Google executive Matt Brittin is expected to beryllium named arsenic nan BBC’s adjacent head wide wrong days, pinch nan corporation’s committee gathering this week for a last chat astir nan appointment.
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Green party | A authorities led by nan Green statement would not group targets for GDP maturation but would alternatively attraction connected people’s intelligence health, societal cohesion and organization welfare, Zack Polanski has said successful a awesome reside to group retired his plans for nan economy.
In depth: It seems incredibly scary – but meningitis is still uncommon successful nan UK
So far, location person been 20 confirmed meningitis infections linked to nan outbreak successful Kent. England recorded a full of 378 cases betwixt July 2024 and June 2025, according to nan astir recent publically disposable statistics. Health experts opportunity that nan existent outbreak is nan largest cluster of cases successful a generation, apt nan merchandise of a super-spreading event. Like his colleagues, Preston says he has not seen an outbreak for illustration this before. Partly, he says, location is simply a consciousness that this has travel retired of nowhere.
The disease, which infects nan protective lining of nan encephalon and spinal cord, tin lead to amputations, epilepsy, learning difficulties and proceeding loss. And yet, it gives small informing of its arrival. “It’s utterly scary. You can’t spot personification who is carrying nan meningitis-causing bacterium,” says Preston. And because this outbreak has mostly affected young people, galore of whom person seen a abrupt and accelerated deterioration successful their symptoms, and it tin consciousness moreover much frightening, he says. “It tin onslaught group we don’t expect to dice from an infectious disease, for illustration assemblage students,” says Preston. “They commencement disconnected pinch mild symptoms that could beryllium conscionable different respiratory infection, and wrong hours, they’re successful intensive attraction fighting for their life.”
But contempt nan existent outbreak, Preston points retired that meningitis remains a uncommon illness successful nan UK. The germs that origin nan unwellness are typically dispersed by adjacent and prolonged contact, specified arsenic kissing, and sharing drinks aliases vapes. And location has been a highly effective vaccine rollout for galore of nan bacterial strains that origin nan illness, which intends we person bully reasons to judge that infection rates will stay astatine debased levels.
A different strand of meningitis
The past meningitis immunisation programme for twelvemonth 9 students targeted meningitis A, C, W and Y pinch unthinkable results: 88% of twelvemonth 9 students successful England were successfully vaccinated earlier nan pandemic. It was truthful successful that these strains now count for little than 20% of cases successful England.
So nan mostly of meningitis cases now are caused by a different strain: meningitis B, which is believed to beryllium nan origin of nan existent outbreak, and was accounted for astir 83% (313 of 378) of cases successful England successful 2024-25.
Immunisation against meningitis B began among babies successful September 2015 – leaving a spread successful vaccination and questions astir vulnerability for those people.
Is wide vaccination necessary?
Preston says that nan tragic outbreak will inevitably lead to a nationalist speech astir whether meningitis B vaccines should beryllium rolled retired much widely. Organisations specified arsenic nan Meningitis Now run group person been lobbying for a wider programme of immunisation, peculiarly for susceptible groups. But astatine nan moment, it is only offered to infants connected nan NHS, pinch backstage jabs disposable for everyone other astatine astir £110 per dose, pinch 2 doses required per course.
“I fishy that we are now going to spot a ample uptake of privately purchased meningitis B vaccines for those that tin spend it. They mightiness extremity up going connected an affordability basis. Obviously, I would understand if a genitor says, ‘Right, I’ve sewage children successful years 11, 12 and 13 starting to socialise a batch aliases caput disconnected to uni, and I want to protect them.’ But that would beryllium a really unpleasant situation,” he says, adding. “Protection being constricted to only those that could spend it would beryllium wrong.”
Preston cautions against nan unreserved for backstage vaccines, explaining that he does not cognize of coagulated information connected their effectiveness successful older property groups aliases really agelong protection lasts. The existent programme is designed to protect infants, he says, and nan MenB jabs return a while to go effective.
Of course, this begs nan mobility of whether nan NHS should money a wide vaccinations programme – Preston is not sure. He makes nan constituent that immoderate nationalist rollout nether nan NHS will beryllium made connected a cost-benefit basis. Considering that cases presently number a fewer 100 each twelvemonth and termination astir 10% of those infected and vaccinating a full organization could costs tens of millions of pounds, it that whitethorn not beryllium nan champion usage of constricted backing that could beryllium utilized connected different life-saving treatments pinch broader reach.
“You person to look astatine really overmuch nan illness costs nan NHS and nine arsenic a whole, and whether nan redeeming would warrant nan expense. You mightiness vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children to forestall a fistful of cases. That’s nan acold ray of time of nan cost-benefit analysis,” Preston says.
We whitethorn ne'er afloat understand the reasons down this breakout
Preston says location is truthful overmuch we still do not cognize astir nan illness and really nan germs that origin it are spread, informing that we whitethorn ne'er afloat understand nan reasons down nan outbreak successful Kent.
“We still don’t really cognize nan factors that trigger meningitis,” says Preston, explaining that galore group person nan illness-causing germs successful their precocious airways naturally. “It is rather feasible that if you person a weakened respiratory tract lining, you’re going to beryllium much susceptible. A viral infection that damages your mucosal lining mightiness do that. Anything that lowers your immunity pinch persistent stress,” he says.
“Obviously, smoking levels person dropped, but vaping has really taken off,” says Preston.
Dr Tom Nutt, nan main executive of Meningitis Now, believes we person already seen enough. On Tuesday, nan group reiterated its telephone for an description of meningitis B vaccinations.
“Many thousands of teenagers and young adults are unvaccinated and unprotected against this shape of nan disease. Currently, nan MenB vaccine is only disposable to teenagers and young adults privately done precocious thoroughfare and supermarket pharmacies, hence nan immense mostly of this property group are unvaccinated,” nan group said successful a statement.
“There are gaps successful nan NHS immunisation schedule, peculiarly astir MenB. It is devastating, cruel, life-changing – and preventable.”
What other we’ve been reading
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“The female filmed without her consent sees nary of that money” is conscionable 1 of nan depressing sentences successful this portion looking astatine nan revenue-making imaginable of “creepshots successful motion” AKA social media nightlife videos that attraction connected young women. Martin
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Phoebe Weston and nan Guardian’s visualisation’s squad person produced a stunning article connected insect migrations, documenting really butterflies transverse oceans and moths usage nan stars to make their measurement astir Earth. Patrick
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This a really absorbing Substack station from Cassie Werber astir really rewriting her 2nd caller aft receiving her editor’s notes needed, for her, to beryllium a visceral task of physically committing things to paper. Martin
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In consequence to its fierce American neighbour, Canada is seeking to build up its Arctic territories. Selena Ross reports from Ottawa astir its plans. Patrick
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I grew up reference 2000AD and, by that measure, it should each beryllium jetpacks, flying cars and droids by now. However, it does look for illustration London genuinely is connected nan verge of getting self-driving cabs. Steve Rose investigates. Martin
Sport
Football | Liverpool comfortably overturned their 1-0 first-leg shortage pinch a 4-0 location win complete Galatasaray to group up a quarter-final pinch PSG. Meanwhile, 2 goals from Xavi Simons and different from Randal Kolo Muani gave Spurs a 3-2 win against Atlético Madrid, but nan Spanish broadside won 7-5 connected aggregate. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha some scored doubly arsenic Barcelona won 7-2 against Newcastle (8-3 agg) to seal a spot successful nan Champions League past eight.
Football | The president of nan Confederation of African Football has been accused of allowing Morocco to “dictate its law” aft Senegal were stripped of their African Cup of Nations title.
Basketball | The WNBA and its players’ national reached an statement successful principle connected a caller corporate bargaining agreement, pinch immoderate players expected to make much than $1m a year.
The beforehand pages
“‘A vulnerable escalation’: Israel strikes world’s largest gasfield,” is nan scatter connected nan Guardian connected Thursday. “Energy costs climb arsenic Iran onslaught hits immense state works successful Gulf,” says nan i paper. “British subject to thief US shape scheme to reopen Strait,” has nan Times. “Iran wages ‘full standard economical war’ connected nan West’ is nan lead communicative complete astatine nan Mail.
“Starmer signals migrant U-turn,” is nan scatter astatine nan Telegraph. “New statement complete weaker migrant plan,” says nan Express. “Brit cops’ activity crime reappraisal of Epstein files,” is nan scatter astatine nan Mirror. “Fed signals bid to trim rates connected way contempt lipid value surge,” has nan FT. The Metro: “We warned of meningitis outbreak hell.” Finally nan Sun pinch “Broke, deaf Glitter ‘on past legs.’”
Today successful Focus
Charlotte Nichols MP connected her rape proceedings ordeal
Standing up successful parliament past week, Charlotte Nichols MP waived her correct to anonymity arsenic a complainant of intersexual offences. “I attraction profoundly astir rape victims facing intolerable delays for their time successful court,” she said, successful a statement astir assemblage trials. The MP for Warrington North shares her experience arsenic a complainant successful a rape proceedings wherever nan man she accused was acquitted.
Cartoon of nan time | Ben Jennings
The Upside
A spot of bully news to punctual you that nan world’s not each bad
Australian scientists person built what they opportunity is nan world’s first moving prototype of a quantum battery – a breakthrough that could 1 time toggle shape really we shop and usage energy. Unlike accepted batteries, which slow down arsenic they standard up, these person a “really peculiar spot wherever nan larger they are, nan little clip they return to charge,” said lead interrogator Dr James Quach of CSIRO, Australia’s nationalist subject agency. The prototype tin complete a afloat cycle, he added: “You complaint it, you shop energy, and you tin discharge it.”
While still early stage, and only storing a mini magnitude of power for nanoseconds, experts opportunity it shows that nan quantum artillery is “more than an idea, it’s now a moving prototype”, possibly pointing towards ultra-fast, wireless charging successful nan future.
Sign up here for a play roundup of The Upside, sent to you each Sunday
Bored astatine work?
And finally, nan Guardian’s puzzles are present to support you entertained passim nan day. Until tomorrow.
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Martin Belam’s Thursday news quiz
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Quick crossword
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Cryptic crossword
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