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Number 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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UK races to contain meningitis outbreak in Kent after 2 deaths
LONDON — Britain will roll out meningitis vaccines to students at a university in southeast England after an "unprecedented" outbreak of the disease killed two people while the number of new cases jumped to 20. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said all those affected were young people. A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in the town of Faversham have died. Six of the nine confirmed cases are gro…
·Korea (the Republic of)
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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.
·Paris, France
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources79
Leaning Left14Leaning Right14Center36Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 22%
C 56%
R 22%
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