What Is Behind The Uk’s Meningitis Outbreak And How Serious Is It?

What happened and where?

On 15 March, nan UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a nationalist wellness body, issued a nationalist wellness alert confirming 2 group had died during an outbreak of meningitis.

It had occurred successful and astir Canterbury, a metropolis of astir 60,000 group successful nan region of Kent, adjacent London, successful south-east England.

Health officials later confirmed nan strain progressive was meningitis B (MenB).

How galore group were affected?

As of 17 March, nan UKHSA said location were 20 cases of invasive meningococcal disease. This has steadily grown from an first appraisal of 11 cases and includes nan 2 group who person died.

Where did nan outbreak originate?

Health officials judge each nan first cases are linked to a activity among those who attended Club Chemistry, a nightclub successful Canterbury, connected 5, 6 aliases 7 March. The nine has since closed voluntarily.

Who died?

One of nan victims has been named arsenic 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who was studying for her A-levels – world qualifications for students aged 16–18 successful nan UK astatine assemblage aliases school.

The headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s grammar schoolhouse successful Faversham, a municipality 10 miles from Canterbury, said Kenny was “incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent and she loved our schoolhouse and was very happy here”.

The different personification who died, who has yet to beryllium named, was a student astatine nan University of Kent.

What has nan consequence been?

The UKHSA started a full-scale consequence connected 15 March, including preparations for distribution of antibiotics connected nan assemblage campus.

Those who were astatine Club Chemistry connected nan dates identified person been urged to travel guardant for antibiotics.

On 17 March, nan UKHSA announced a targeted vaccination programme against MenB for students surviving successful halls of residence astatine nan University of Kent. It says nan programme could beryllium expanded later.

Are meningitis outbreaks communal successful nan UK?

The UKHSA main executive, Susan Hopkins, said nan number of cases successful specified a short abstraction of clip is “unprecedented” and called nan outbreak “explosive”.

Wes Streeting, nan UK authorities wellness secretary, who oversees wellness and societal attraction successful England, said: “What’s worried america astir nan Canterbury outbreak is nan gait and grade of nan dispersed of nan disease.”

According to nan UKHSA, location were 378 cases of invasive meningococcal disease successful 2024-25, of which 80% – 313 cases – were MenB.

Is location a meningitis vaccination programme successful nan UK?

Since 2015, nan MenB vaccine has been offered to babies astatine 8 weeks, pinch a 2nd dose astatine 12 weeks and booster astatine 1 year.

Other regular puerility jabs, including nan 6-in-1 and pneumococcal vaccines, tin protect against meningitis.

The MenACWY vaccine, which covers 4 different meningococcal groups, is offered to teenagers successful schoolhouse years 9 and 10, and tin beryllium fixed until nan property of 25.

But teenagers calved earlier 2015 are unvaccinated against MenB.

Despite MenB accounting for 80% of cases of invasive meningococcal disease, until now, nan UK Joint Committee connected Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI), a assemblage that advises nan UK government, has not deemed MenB vaccination to beryllium cost-effective for teenagers arsenic it doesn’t forestall nan germs from spreading from 1 personification to another, it doesn’t target each nan different B germs strains and doesn’t protect for a agelong duration.

Streeting announced he had asked nan JCVI “to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines”. He said he was doing this “without prejudicing their decision”.