No new cases of meningitis linked to an outbreak in Kent have been detected, raising hopes that it has been well contained, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The total number of cases remains at 29, with 20 confirmed and nine probable cases, the same figure as on Sunday. Two people have died: 18-year-old student Juliette Kenny and an unnamed University of Kent student.
The outbreak, described as the biggest in a generation in the UK, is linked to the Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury, which was attended by students from the city’s two universities on 5, 6 and 7 March. Nineteen of the 20 confirmed cases were meningitis B. Eighteen of those confirmed are thought to be still in hospital.
The number of cases fell from 34 on Friday to 29 after five cases were reclassified following laboratory testing. Officials expect further probable cases to be downgraded. “Whilst we expect some further probable cases to be downgraded in the coming days, this outbreak is not yet over,” a UKHSA spokesperson said.
Health officials and experts believe the lack of new cases since the outbreak came to light over the weekend of 13-15 March is grounds for optimism. Prompt action by Kent County Council, NHS England and the UKHSA in providing antibiotics and vaccines and tracing contacts is thought to have been key. As of Monday, 13,088 doses of antibiotics had been given out and 10,081 people vaccinated against meningitis B.
Simon Williams, a public health expert at Swansea University, said the lack of new cases was a good sign but warned the latency period for MenB can sometimes be longer. He added that MenB is not as contagious as flu or Covid, and voluntary reduction of socialising in Kent will have helped.
