The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is conducting an investigation following the hospitalization of a student with meningitis, who attends classes outside Kent. This development occurred shortly after the agency identified the strain responsible for the weekend outbreak.
Escape Studios, a school specializing in game development, VFX, and animation located in North Greenwich, communicated to students via email that one of the students had been hospitalized over the weekend and diagnosed with meningitis. The institution expressed well wishes for the student’s speedy recovery and informed that UKHSA is evaluating the situation, identifying close contacts, and determining necessary actions.
While the specific connection of the hospitalized student to the 20 cases linked to the Kent outbreak remains unclear, UKHSA will directly contact individuals identified as close contacts for necessary information and instructions.
Both UKHSA and Escape Studios declined to provide comments on the London-connected case. A student at Escape Studios shared that the school had informed them about contact tracing for antibiotics but had revealed little additional information.
The outbreak in Kent has resulted in the deaths of two individuals and hospitalization of another 11. Juliette, a Year 13 student at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, was one of the deceased. Described as a “true friend” in tributes, Juliette’s family expressed profound devastation and praised her kindness, thoughtfulness, and intelligence.
Another fatality from the outbreak, a 21-year-old student at Kent University, remains unnamed. Several young individuals have been hospitalized, with some placed in induced comas. UKHSA reported a total of 15 cases, all requiring hospitalization, with four confirmed as meningitis B (menB) infections.
Efforts to address the outbreak at the University of Kent include urging individuals who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6, or 7 to come forward for antibiotics as a precautionary measure. The club’s owner estimated over 2,000 attendees during those dates.
The University of Kent, with advice from UKHSA, is offering antibiotics to its 16,000 staff and students as needed. The latest update from UKHSA revealed an increase in the number of cases under investigation to 20, up from 15.
While a meningitis B vaccination exists, it was introduced in 2015, leaving many young people born before then unprotected unless they received the vaccine privately.
