Students in Kent are to be offered a targeted vaccination against meningitis B after two more cases in a deadly outbreak were confirmed and pharmacies ran out of vaccine doses. Government scientists have confirmed that two people who died in the outbreak had bacterial strain B of the disease, for which most people have not been vaccinated.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as unprecedented and rapidly developing in a Commons update. He confirmed that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had launched a small vaccination programme for students living at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus halls of residence. The programme may be expanded amid calls for an NHS catch-up vaccination programme, as pharmacy stocks of the meningitis B (MenB) vaccine run low.
MenB vaccines have only been given to young children on the NHS since 2015, meaning those over 10 are vulnerable unless vaccinated privately. The UKHSA stated: “Given the severity of the situation, a small targeted vaccination programme will begin starting with students resident at Canterbury campus halls of residence at the University of Kent in the coming days. The vaccination programme may be expanded further as UKHSA continues to assess any ongoing risk to other populations.”
The number of confirmed cases has risen from 13 to 15, with four involving meningitis B, including the two deaths. The remaining 11 cases are under investigation. Streeting noted that French health authorities had alerted the UK to a second confirmed case in France involving a student who had attended the University of Kent. One of the 15 affected students travelled to London, fell ill, and sought help at a hospital there.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, called for an NHS nationwide catch-up programme for university students and teenagers born before 2015, warning that private supplies are dwindling. Private meningitis B vaccinations cost between £100 and £120 per dose, with a full course costing up to £240. The UKHSA’s deputy director, Gayatri Amirthalingam, urged young people in Kent to take up the offer of antibiotics, saying it is safe for them to return home after treatment.
