UK HEALTH authorities are responding to a meningitis outbreak linked to a nightclub, which health secretary Wes Streeting described on Tuesday as “unprecedented”. Two students have died and 13 people have been hospitalised.
Streeting told parliament the situation was “rapidly developing” as the number of confirmed cases rose to 15.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said two people had died in Kent in southeastern England — a 21-year-old university student and an 18-year-old school student.
The outbreak has been linked to Club Chemistry in Canterbury, a three-storey venue popular with students.
The UKHSA said it had been “notified of 15 cases”, including the deaths, up from 13 cases reported earlier.
Four cases have been identified as meningitis B, a bacterial strain rarer and more serious than the viral type.
Meningitis B causes death in around one in 10 cases, according to the National Health Service.
Meningitis is an infection affecting the membranes around the brain and spinal cord and is most common in young children, teenagers and young adults.
It can spread through close contact, including “prolonged kissing or sharing vapes and drinks,” Streeting said.
Public health measures are focused on the University of Kent, which has around 18,000 students, some of whom are among those hospitalised.
The university held a clinic offering antibiotics on Tuesday as students lined up for treatment. Streeting also announced a vaccination programme for students living in university halls.
The minister added that French authorities reported a case on Saturday involving a person in France who had attended the University of Kent, without giving further details.
The UKHSA on Tuesday urged anyone who visited a nightclub in Canterbury between March 5 and 7 to get preventative antibiotics.
The agency has faced criticism over an alleged delay in informing the public about the outbreak.
It first announced the deaths on Sunday, two days after it was notified of cases.
UKHSA deputy head Gyatri Amirthalingam said the agency took “urgent action” to identify and inform close contacts.
“I don't believe there's been any delay in terms of the public health response,” she said.
Club Chemistry said on Instagram that one of its staff members was being treated for meningitis and that it has closed as a precaution.
(With inputs from agencies)
