The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported no new cases of meningitis linked to an outbreak in Kent, with the total remaining at 29. This includes 20 confirmed and nine probable cases, marking what officials describe as the largest outbreak of its kind in the UK in a generation.
Two people have died: 18-year-old student Juliette Kenny and an unnamed University of Kent student. The other 18 confirmed cases are believed to still be in hospital. Nineteen of the 20 confirmed cases were meningitis B, and all are linked to attendees of the Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury on 5, 6, and 7 March.
The total number of cases has fallen from 34 on Friday after five were reclassified due to laboratory testing. Further downgrades are expected, but the UKHSA cautioned that the outbreak is not yet over. Health officials expressed optimism that the lack of new cases suggests the outbreak has been well contained.
Rapid public health responses, including the distribution of 13,088 doses of antibiotics and 10,081 meningitis B vaccinations, along with contact tracing, are credited with containing the spread. Simon Williams, a public health expert at Swansea University, noted that the latency period for MenB can be longer than a few days, so further cases cannot be ruled out, but the prompt action appears effective.
