Number of meningitis cases in Kent rises to 20
A targeted vaccination programme is being rolled out for students living in halls in Canterbury
The number of meningitis cases in Kent has risen to 20, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.
The figure is up from 15, health officials announced on Wednesday (18 March), amid an "unprecedented" outbreak.
Students living in halls in Canterbury will now be offered vaccines for meningitis B, as part of a targeted programme.
On Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said most students would not already be vaccinated against menB.
He told MPs that the outbreak is “unprecedented” and is “a rapidly developing situation”.
Mr Streeting said the menB vaccine has been available on the NHS since 2015 as part of routine childhood immunisations.
He added that “clearly most students would not be vaccinated”.
Mr Streeting said: “Given the severity of the situation, I can confirm to the House that we will begin a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury, which will begin in the coming days.”
The programme may also expand further if other groups are deemed to be at risk.
UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said the outbreak looks like “a super-spreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residence in the universities”.
She said: “I can say that in my 35 years working in medicine, in healthcare and hospitals, this is the most cases I’ve seen in a single weekend with this type of infection.
“It’s the explosive nature that is unprecedented here – the number of cases in such a short space of time.”
Four schools across Kent have now confirmed cases and hundreds of people are being offered antibiotics as an immediate treatment.
All reported cases so far have a link to Kent, according to the UKHSA.
At least one person who fell ill and had links to Kent attended a hospital in London.