'Unprecedented' meningitis outbreak in Kent has British officials scrambling to contain it
· Toronto Sun
An “unprecedented” meningitis outbreak in the English county of Kent has public health officials on high alert after the highly contagious infection claimed the lives of two young people and sickened 15 others.
The disease, often caused by a bacterial or viral infection, was first detected in the city of Canterbury between March 13-15, according to the UK Health Security Agency .
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Of the 15 cases under investigation, four were lab-confirmed and 11 are under investigation, the UKHSA said in an update on Tuesday. It said some of the cases are group B meningococcal disease.
It’s believed the outbreak may have started at a nightclub event in Canterbury.
UKHSA said some of the cases visited Club Chemistry between March 5 and March 7 before falling ill, and have asked attendees to “come forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a precautionary measure.”
University students and youths among those falling ill
Included in the outbreak are four schools in Kent, which have confirmed cases, the BBC reported.
Most of the infected are believed to be between the ages of 18 and 21, with a number of them students from the University of Kent, according to the BBC.
The outlet reported that a 21-year-student and 18-year-old high school student had died from the disease.
A university student who had gone to the club and collapsed before being hospitalized for meningitis told the BBC that a seizure left her body with cuts up to her face.
“I’ve still got a headache and aching. It’s going back down my legs,”Keeleigh Goodwin, 21, said.
Vaccination campaign underway
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the outbreak “unprecedented” and a “rapidly developing situation,” the BBC reported, as public health officials scramble to vaccinate students and distribute antibiotics to those who suspect they’ve been exposed to the disease.
UKHSA said University of Kent students living on campus are being targeted in a vaccination program, which it said may be expanded as it continues to assess the situation.
The agency has already given 700 doses of antibiotics, The Independent reported.
Symptoms of the disease
“Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly,” the UKHSA said. “Signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet.”
It added: “Early symptoms can often be confused with other illnesses such as a cold, flu or hangover and students are particularly at risk of missing the early warning signs.”
Children and young people are the most at risk of the disease, often caused by a bacterial or viral infection, which leads to inflammation of the meninges, or protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
Local St. Patrick’s Day events have been cancelled, while the University of Kent campus “appeared eerily quiet” with staff and students queuing for masks and antibiotics, The Guardian reported.
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