UK meningitis outbreak cases rise to 27

Two people have died since the epidemic came to light at the weekend. Read more at straitstimes.com.

London - The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 27, health officials said on March 19, following an unprecedented deadly outbreak centred on a university.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement: “15 laboratory cases are confirmed and 12 notifications remain under investigation, bringing the total to 27”.

Two people have died since the epidemic came to light at the weekend, centred on the University of Kent in southeastern Canterbury and a local nightclub popular with students.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has led urgent calls for young people who visited the nightclub on the weekend of the outbreak to come forward, adding health experts were working to identify close contacts of those who were ill.

Speaking in Parliament on March 17, he asked “anyone who attended Club Chemistry on March, 5, 6th or 7th to come forward, please, to receive antibiotics”.

The university has rolled out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B – a deadly bacterial strain – for some 5,000 students. Hundreds of students queued at the campus on March 18 to get the jab.