Meningitis outbreak hits second UK university amid fear of country-wide outbreak

 

A second university in Kent, United Kingdom, has confirmed a case of meningitis as health officials warn of a growing outbreak that has already claimed two lives and left a nine-month-old baby in intensive care, raising fears of wider spread across the United Kingdom.

Canterbury Christ Church University confirmed that one of its students has contracted the disease, bringing the total number of reported cases to 20, including nine confirmed infections and 11 still under investigation. Authorities say six of the confirmed cases involve the most serious strain, Meningitis B (MenB).

The outbreak, which has been declared a national incident, has largely been linked to events in Canterbury, with investigations focusing on a popular nightlife venue, Club Chemistry, where more than 2,000 people are believed to have attended over a key weekend.

Officials from the UK Health Security Agency have warned that further cases are likely, particularly as students travel home for Easter, potentially carrying the infection to other parts of the country.

Professor Michael Head said: “It’s really likely that we will see more cases, specific to the Kent outbreak, but also unrelated and elsewhere in the UK. If someone currently unknowingly has a potentially infectious case of meningitis, and they travel to another part of the country, then we may see localised transmission there. That cannot be ruled out. However, the risks of large-scale transmission is very low.”

Echoing those concerns, Professor Andrew Preston warned that transmission risks increase as students return home. “If these students are carrying the bacteria, there is definitely the potential for transmission when they go back to their family homes,” he said.

Further analysis from Professor Paul Hunter highlighted uncertainties around how far the outbreak could spread. He said; 

“In terms of the likelihood of the outbreak spreading further, there are two issues here. One is could people currently incubating the infection have moved elsewhere and become sick. Certainly, it is possible and I believe we have already seen one such case. The other issue is could there be secondary cases from affected people and that is also possible. The issue is whether this strain of MenB could spread more widely in society. Certainly possible, but difficult to say with certainty.”

Health authorities have urged anyone who visited Club Chemistry between March 5 and 7 to seek preventative antibiotic treatment, while the University of Kent has begun offering MenB vaccinations to students living on its Canterbury campus. Susan Hopkins described the outbreak as unprecedented.

“This looks like a super-spreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residence in the universities. I can say that in my 35 years working in medicine… this is the most cases I’ve seen in a single weekend with this type of infection.”