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A school pupil has been confirmed as the second person to have died after an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, an MP has said.
Over the weekend it was reported that a University of Kent student was one of two people to have died after contracting the disease, while 11 more people were seriously ill in hospital.
On Monday, Helen Whately, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, said: “The meningitis outbreak in our area is a huge shock. Feeling so deeply sad for the young lives lost – a year 13 pupil at QEGS [Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school] and a uni of Kent student. My heart goes out to their families.”
In a post on Facebook, she added: “It’s incredibly worrying too for the families of the young people in hospital, and others at risk. I am asking the NHS urgently for more information and guidance, especially given the rumours going round about where they may have picked it up.”
Whately said she had spoken to the health secretary, Wes Streeting, and was expecting to hear from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Monday morning.
The UKHSA said it had been notified between Friday and Sunday of 13 cases of people with signs and symptoms of meningitis. Some students at the University of Kent have been given antibiotics while others are in hospital. The specific strain of meningitis has not yet been identified.
“We can confirm that UKHSA has worked with the University of Kent to provide advice letters to all 16,000 students, advising on recent cases, signs and symptoms, how to obtain antibiotics, and what to do if they feel unwell,” a UKHSA spokesperson said. Not all students were to be given antibiotics, only those regarded as close contacts of those affected.
Louise Jones-Roberts, the owner of the Club Chemistry venue in Canterbury, said she had been contacted by the agency.
“We have been told somebody was in our club at the weekend who has since been diagnosed with meningitis. They have asked us if we have any methods for tracing who has been in to us.
“We have an ID scanner but that is more of a security measure … It takes pictures of some driving licences, ID cards and on so on. We’ve got tickets for events so we could trace ticket holders, but most people pay on the door.”
She said her thoughts were with the families of those affected by the outbreak. “I’m devastated. I can’t imagine what the families are going through. Our thoughts are with the families. Meningitis affects healthy, young people and this is devastating.”
Meningococcal bacteria can cause serious illness, including inflammation of the lining of the brain and blood poisoning, which can rapidly lead to sepsis.
Anyone can get meningitis but it is most common in babies, children, teenagers and young adults.
The UKHSA said anyone with meningitis and septicaemia symptoms should seek medical help urgently. Symptoms include a rash, sudden fever, severe headaches, a stiff neck, vomiting and diarrhoea, joint and muscle pain, sensitivity to bright lights, cold hands and feet, seizures, confusion and extreme sleepiness.
