Meningitis B: symptoms, vaccine and what to avoid
Jane Dalton18 March 2026 04:45
Watch: Streeting warns of ‘returning to Victorian conditions’ Wes Streeting warns of ‘returning to Victorian conditions’ through ‘anti-science’ rhetoric amid Meningitis B outbreak
Jane Dalton18 March 2026 03:30
Pharmacists urge NHS to offer catch-up jabs
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has urged the NHS to commission pharmacies to provide a catch-up service for teenagers who missed their menACWY vaccine, which protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria, and called for reforms to the childhood vaccination programme.
NPA chairman Olivier Picard said: “Some pharmacies are already seeing an uptick in patients contacting them to book menACWY and menB vaccinations and we anticipate this demand will continue to grow.”
Children who missed the measles vaccine are encourage to catch up (PA) (PA Archive)
Jane Dalton18 March 2026 02:15
Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
Early warning signs of meningitis include a high temperature, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and stomach cramps.
As the condition develops, it can make people drowsy, irritable and confused, as well as cause severe muscle pain, pale, blotchy skin, spots or a rash, stiff neck, an aversion to bright lights and convulsions or seizures.
Meningitis Now urges people not to wait until someone develops a rash and to seek medical help if someone is ill and displaying these symptoms.
Jane Dalton18 March 2026 01:00
Watch: Meningitis B expert answers your questions
Meningitis B expert answers your questions as Kent outbreak leaves two dead
A total of 15 cases of meningitis have now been notified to the UK Health Security Agency, with four cases seen in Kent confirmed as meningitis B. All cases have required hospital admission, and two young people have died. With parental concerns mounting, as the majority of young people born before 2015 are not protected against meningitis B unless they have had the jab privately, The Independent has spoken to clinical microbiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Eliza Gil, for her professional input on symptoms, vaccines, and how to contain the spread. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has stated the meningitis outbreak was “unprecedented in terms of the pace and extent of the outbreak that we’ve seen”. Watch the full interview above.
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 23:59
Experts sequence genome strain
The genome of the menB strain identified in the outbreak is undergoing whole genome sequencing to see if there are any differences from known strains.
It will also be tested against available menB vaccines, though experts stressed people should get a jab if eligible.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said most students would not already be vaccinated against menB, but that the jabs would begin in the next few days.
He said the menB vaccine had been available on the NHS since 2015 as part of routine childhood immunisations, “but clearly most students would not be vaccinated”.
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 23:00
Tally of infections expected to rise
The number of cases of meningitis is expected to rise because the incubation period – between infection and when symptoms appear – is two to 14 days.
The outbreak is being viewed by experts as unprecedented owing to the high number of cases appearing in such a short space of time.
Around 5,000 students in university halls in Kent are to be offered the meningitis B vaccine in coming days. The aim is to prevent further disease in several weeks’ time by people harbouring the infection.
Students queuing for antibiotics (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 21:59
Teenager killed by meningitis ‘genuinely caring’
The father of an 18-year-old girl killed by a meningitis outbreak in Kent has said that their family are “beyond devastated and they have no words to express their loss”.
Juliette, who was a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, died on Saturday from the infection.
Her head teacher, Amelia McIlroy, said she was “a genuinely caring and attentive listener, a true friend who listened with warmth, respect and sincere interest to her peers and to our staff”.
“In short, she was a lovely girl,” she added.
Juliette, 18, has been described as a ‘true friend’ and a ‘lovely girl’ (Family handout)
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 20:56
Fastest-growing outbreak I’ve ever seen, says medical chief
England’s deputy chief medical officer Dr Thomas Waite said: “This is by far the quickest-growing outbreak I’ve ever seen in my career, and I think probably any of us have seen of meningitis for a very long time.
“Whilst it remains an outbreak that is having its consequences in Kent, it is obviously of national significance.”
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 20:32
Super-spreader event causing explosive toll of infections, says health chief
UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said: “This looks like a super-spreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residents in the universities.
“There will have been some parties particularly around this, so there will have been lots of social mixing.
“I can’t yet say where the initial infection came from, how it’s got into this cohort, and why it’s created such an explosive amount of infections.”
She said that in her 35 years of working in medicine, in healthcare and hospitals, it was the highest number of cases she had 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.
“NHS were initially managing it as a major incident in the region but they have now increased that overlay to having a national-level oversight as well.”
Susan Hopkins (Getty Images)
Jane Dalton17 March 2026 20:30