Kent is at the center of a meningitis outbreak, prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to issue an urgent public health alert.
The alert comes as a vaccination program targeting about 5,000 students began at the University of Kent, following an outbreak thought to have originated at a nightclub in Canterbury. According to the UKHSA, two deaths have been reported, including a 21-year-old university student and Juliette, a sixth former at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham.
The number of confirmed and suspected cases now stands at 20. The UKHSA has administered about 2,500 doses of antibiotics across Kent, and GPs across the country have been told to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited the nightclub from 5 to 7 March, plus students from the University of Kent.
Police and Health Response
Health chiefs have described the outbreak as having an "explosive nature". UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said the agency is trying to work out why the infection spread so fast in Canterbury. Hopkins stated that vaccines held by the government would be used for NHS patients, including students in Kent.
A case has also been confirmed at Canterbury Christ Church University. Christ Church student Tyra Skinner, 20, contracted meningitis after attending the Club Chemistry nightclub, her parents said. Skinner is in a stable condition at the William Harvey Hospital, Ashford.
Investigation and Vaccination Efforts
As reported by the BBC, the vaccination program is underway, with nurses manning 15 tables in a sports hall at the University of Kent to begin immunizations. A university spokesperson said vaccines were under way and staff and students were being offered precautionary antibiotics "to offer a swift response and reassurance".
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the outbreak was not national, but the response was being managed nationally. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a "deeply difficult" time for the families of those who had died and who were seriously ill.
