“Delaying reporting a case is indefensible,” said Prof Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious disease at the University of East Anglia. “You don’t wait for a formal diagnosis when it comes to meningitis – you report it straight away so it can be investigated.
“Not only do you want to trace the close contacts to give them preventative treatment, you also want to see if there are other cases developing.”
He added: “You had significant numbers of young people developing symptoms as the days went by, but they were unaware there was an outbreak. If they had known, they may have come forward for treatment sooner.”
He said quick treatment was essential to increase the chances of survival and to avoid life-changing disabilities, such as loss of limbs, blindness and brain injury.