US EditionNumber of meningitis cases investigated in Kent rises to 20
An unprecedented outbreak linked to a nightclub event in Kent has led to 20 cases, with targeted vaccination starting for 5,000 University of Kent students, officials said.
- As of 5pm on Mar 17, the UK Health Security Agency said 20 meningitis cases were reported in Kent, up from 15, with nine laboratory-confirmed and 11 under investigation.
- Experts linked the outbreak to Club Chemistry nightclub after attendance between March 5-7, prompting UK Health Security Agency to declare a national incident amid an 'explosive' rise.
- Six confirmed cases are of group B meningococcus, with two deaths including 18-year-old Juliette Kenny and a 21-year-old University of Kent student, and around 15 hospitalised patients.
- GPs across the UK have been told to prescribe antibiotics to those exposed after over 2,500 doses were given and four centres in Canterbury dispense treatment with 11,000 doses available.
- Dr Thomas Waite warned that, while centred in Kent, laboratory scientists are sequencing the strain to determine if a mutant menB explains the outbreak's explosive nature, and cases may rise because the incubation period is two to 14 days.
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Between 15 and 20 cases have been reported to the health authorities. According to the Minister of Health, Wes Streeting, the majority of cases are related to the Club Chemistry disco, frequented by Canterbury students.
Kent’s meningitis outbreak was years in the making – here’s why
Two young people are dead and 20 are receiving treatment after a meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent. The students caught up in it belong to a generation that has never been routinely vaccinated against the strain responsible. That is not because a vaccine doesn’t exist. It does. Bexsero, which protects against meningococcal group B disease (the strain responsible for the Kent outbreak) has been available since 2013. The UK even became…
Kent, UK: Rapid Surge in Meningitis Cases Total
Health authorities in England are investigating a rapidly developing meningitis outbreak centred on the University of Kent, with 20 cases reported as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17th. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that nine laboratory cases have been confirmed, while 11 remain under investigation. Six of the confirmed cases are identified as the meningitis B strain. The outbreak has already claimed the lives of two young people…
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