Students in Kent are to be offered targeted meningitis B vaccinations following two additional cases in a deadly outbreak that has now claimed two lives. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that the bacterial strain B of the disease has been identified in the fatalities, for which most people over 10 are unvaccinated.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as “unprecedented and rapidly developing” in a Commons update. He confirmed that a small vaccination programme has been launched for students living in University of Kent Canterbury campus halls of residence, with potential expansion amid calls for a nationwide NHS catch-up programme as pharmacy stocks of the MenB vaccine run low.
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. French health authorities alerted the UK to a second confirmed case in France involving a University of Kent student. Another student travelled to London, fell ill, and sought hospital care there.
Experts have labelled the outbreak a “super-spreader” event, prompting the UKHSA to treat it as a national incident. Pharmacies report a surge in demand for private MenB vaccinations, with costs ranging from £100 to £120 per dose. Dr Leyla Hannbeck of the Independent Pharmacies Association urged the NHS to commission a national pharmacy-led catch-up programme for those born before 2015.
The UKHSA advised anyone who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on 5, 6, or 7 March to seek preventive antibiotics. Deputy director Gayatri Amirthalingam urged young people to take up antibiotic offers, stating it is safe for them to return home after treatment.
