US EditionMeningitis in Kent fatal outbreak identified as less targeted strain B
At least 13 MenB cases linked to a Canterbury nightclub outbreak have caused two deaths and hospitalisations, prompting mass antibiotic distribution to 16,000 University of Kent students and staff.
- The UK Health Security Agency confirmed meningitis B as the strain behind a Kent outbreak on Monday, with 13 cases and two deaths including 18-year-old Juliette Kenny from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham.
- Following investigations, health officials identified a link to Club Chemistry in Canterbury, where attendees between March 5 and 7 are urged to seek preventative antibiotics. The nightclub owner estimated more than 2,000 people visited during those dates.
- Advice has been issued to 16,000 staff and students at the University of Kent, where antibiotics are being offered to those who need them. Early symptoms can be confused with colds, making rapid medical attention critical.
- Tributes poured in for Kenny, described as 'incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent' by headteacher Amelia McIlroy. Local institutions moved to remote learning as officials denied allegations of delays in issuing alerts.
- Professor Andrew Preston, a microbiologist at the University of Bath, described the outbreak as 'extremely dangerous,' noting such large-scale clusters are rare. Young people born before 2015 lack MenB protection unless privately vaccinated, revealing a significant gap.
46 Articles
46 Articles
In eastern England, the student city of Canterbury, in Kent County, appears to be returning to Covid-19. An epidemic of meningitis B caused at least two deaths, including a high school student, and a dozen young people had to be hospitalized this weekend on March 14-15. All cases seem to be linked to a party in a nightclub. Meningitis vaccines, a contagious bacterial infection with high mortality and lasting sequelae, do not always cover this st…
An epidemic of meningococcal meningitis, declared in the English region of Canterbury (southeast) and with fifteen cases counted, caused the death of two young people, announced the...
Two young people have died of meningitis, and others are in hospital. A university is distributing antibiotics.
The meningococcal meningitis epidemic that has been reported in the Canterbury region of England, with 15 cases reported to the authorities, including two mortals, is "unprecedented," said British Health Minister Wes Streeting in Parliament on Tuesday.
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