An outbreak of invasive meningitis at the University of Kent and three secondary schools has resulted in the deaths of two young people, with 11 others admitted to hospital. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that 13 cases have been reported since 13 March, including the two fatalities.
The victims include a student at the University of Kent and a sixth-form pupil at Queen Elizabeth's grammar school (QEGS) in Faversham. The sixth-former, identified as Juliette, was described by her headteacher as “kind, thoughtful and intelligent”. Her father told the BBC the family was “beyond devastated”. Two other schools, Simon Langton grammar school for boys in Canterbury and Norton Knatchbull school in Ashford, each have a year 13 student in hospital.
Long queues formed at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus on Monday as students, many wearing face masks, waited for antibiotics. The UKHSA contacted those who may have been in close contact with infected individuals. The university has moved all assessments due this week online, affecting approximately 1,700 students, though the campus remains open.
Local MP Helen Whately expressed shock and said she had spoken to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The specific strain of meningitis has not yet been identified, and the UKHSA continues to investigate the outbreak.
