After two people – a student at the university in Canterbury and a year 13 pupil from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham – died and 13 more have been hospitalised following an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, precautionary antibiotics were being handed out for a second day.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed yesterday that the strain of meningitis B, known as MenB, is behind at least four of the cases in the outbreak. The university called the situation “very sad and worrying”.
By 9am, dozens of students were waiting to collect the medicine and the mood in the queue was an anxious one.
Those waiting stood well apart and wore face masks not seen en masse since the Covid pandemic. Those without masks fashioned face coverings with scarves and jumpers. Few were talking.
It is exam season at the university but assessments have been moved online since the outbreak. The student union’s St Patrick’s Day party had also been cancelled, so the only real footfall on campus was those collecting antibiotics.
Among them was Harvey Bennett, a 21-year-old cell biology master’s student from Deal. About the feeling on campus, he said: “There’s a little bit of tension, I guess, because obviously we haven’t had anything happen like this before. I thought I’d come down here today, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
The scenes redolent of the pandemic that met him at the Senate building took him by surprise, however.
He added: “I didn’t realise everyone was going to be wearing face masks down here, so I came a little unprepared, but luckily they were handing them out.
“It definitely feels like we’re back in Covid, it’s weird.”
Second year biomedical science student Zyren Distajo (21) said some of her friends had been sent into “hysteria”.
Ms Distajo said: “I have an immunology exam online later today, and the group chats have been either mass hysteria or people being like, ‘Oh, this is just like Covid.’
“It is very interesting going back into this type of situation. But I think a lot of people are just calming down because they realise that everyone being anxious isn’t going to do anything.”
Ms Distajo, from Grantham, believes that the outbreak will have a knock-on effect on student behaviour.
People who visited Canterbury nightclub Club Chemistry on March 5, 6, or 7 have been urged by the UKHSA to get antibiotics amid the outbreak as a “precautionary measure”, and local authorities are working to trace attendees.
The UKHSA said students are particularly at risk of missing the early warning signs of meningitis because they can be easily confused with other illnesses such as a bad cold, the flu or even a hangover.
Health secretary Wes Streeting told the House of Commons earlier yesterday the outbreak is “unprecedented” and “a rapidly developing situation”.He also told MPs he was “confident” the UKHSA acted as “quickly and comprehensively as possible” in its response, after criticism it was too slow to act and inform the public.
A university spokesperson said: “We recognise that this is a very sad and worrying time for our community and we are doing everything we can to offer advice and support.” (© The Independent)