2 dead, 11 hospitalised due to meningitis outbreak in Britain

An outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis at a university and three schools in Britain has killed two people and left 11 hospitalised.

This is believed to be linked to a nightclub in the city of Canterbury, just under one hour by train from the British capital of London, which then spread amongst the student population.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on the evening of March 16 it was continuing to investigate the outbreak after it detected 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicaemia, between March 13 and March 15.

The disease is caused by meningococcal bacteria. It can cause inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, as well as blood infection.

While it can affect anyone, it most commonly afflicts infants, young children, teenagers and young adults.

One of the victims who died was a 21-year-old undergraduate from the University of Kent, while the other was an 18-year-old identified as Juliet.

“She was incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent... she was a lovely girl – her beautiful smile, her loving nature and her sense of fun will be hugely missed. We are all devastated,” Juliet’s head teacher, Ms Amelia McIlroy, was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Two other schools also confirmed that they both had a Year 13 student infected with meningitis, British newspaper The Guardian reported on March 16.

Students in Year 13 are typically 17 to 18 years old. In Singapore, students that age are usually in Junior College, Polytechnic or ITE.

UKHSA, which described the outbreak as “particularly large” and “unprecedented in recent years”, has urged over 30,000 people to get precautionary antibiotics from four sites across Canterbury, especially those who were at the Club Chemistry nightclub between March 5 and March 7.

Ms Louise Jones-Roberts, the owner of the nightclub, told the Press Association that more than 2,000 people would have visited the venue over the three days.

British media reported that many people wearing face masks turned up on the morning of March 16 to receive their antibiotics from health personnel at the sites.

Matthew McDonagh, 16, and his brother Luca, 17, were at a party in another venue on March 14 with a person who has been infected with meningitis.

The boys said another friend was in an induced coma after contracting meningitis.

“’It’s quite scary. I can’t believe it. It’s just insane... I never thought this would happen again (after Covid-19),” Matthew told British tabloid The Daily Mail.