Around 2,500 doses of antibiotics administered so far, health bosses say
Around 2,500 doses of antibiotics have been administered to people in Kent, health chiefs have said.
Trish Mannes, UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: “Around 2,500 doses of antibiotics have now been administered across sites in Kent and we continue to encourage close contacts to come forward for the treatment.
“This includes those offered at the University of Kent and anyone who visited Club Chemistry between March 5-7.
“This is the main intervention that will help protect people and halt the spread of the outbreak.
“As a further precaution and together with the NHS, we are beginning to roll out a targeted menB vaccination programme.
“This will initially be offered to 5,000 university of Kent students resident at the Canterbury campus, with the possibility that it may be extended, as it is kept under continual review.
“If you think you may have symptoms of meningitis, don’t hesitate to seek medical help by contacting your GP or calling NHS 111. Seeking early treatment can save lives.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 09:45
Major pharmacies implement waiting lists over high vaccine demand
Major UK pharmacies have implemented queueing systems and waiting lists amid a surge in demand for meningitis B vaccines.
Boots has put in place a queuing system for customers to enter the vaccination service page of its website, with a warning that demand for its menB jab is currently high.
Superdrug has also created a waiting list for the vaccine, with a note on its website informing customers of a “national shortage”. It said it is “working with suppliers to access further stock”.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 09:36
Health secretary says ‘pace and extent’ of meningitis spread is ‘concerning’
Health secretary Wes Streeting said there are at least 350 cases of meningitis every year and he would not be surprised “if in different parts of the country, we see cases presented that are unconnected to this particular outbreak in Canterbury”, though they would be investigated.
He told BBC Breakfast: “What’s worried us about the Canterbury outbreak is the pace and extent of the spread of the disease – that is unprecedented, and that’s why we are being so proactive in the provision of antibiotics, because they’re an effective treatment, but also standing up vaccination at a pace and in a way that we wouldn’t normally do. I hope that that will give some reassurance to people.”
Asked if there was concern the outbreak could spread to other parts of the country as students leave Canterbury, Mr Streeting said: “No and lots of students from Kent have already gone home.
“It’s exam week at the university this week, so there are still quite a few students around sitting their exams. Lots of students will have gone home, and that’s fine. That’s okay.
“What we need people to do is to think through in terms of their individual situations, were they at Club Chemistry on March 5, 6 or 7? If the answer to that question is yes, the sensible thing to do is to access antibiotics.”
He said GPs nationally had been told to give antibiotics in those cases.
He added: “But in terms of students, for example, thinking, ‘Is it right for me to go and sit my exam this week? Or if they’re at schools and the college in the Canterbury area, thinking, ‘is it right for me to go to school or to go to college?’
“The answer is yes, people can and should still do that. The reassuring thing here is that this disease spreads through close, personal contact. So it is things like kissing, sharing drinks, sharing vapes…”
He said the concern was not, for example, around people travelling on buses. “Those aren’t things we’re worried about. It’s close personal contact I’ve described.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 09:29
Watch: Streeting says UK ‘absolutely looking’ at war in Iran over medicine stock suppliesStreeting says UK ‘absolutely looking’ at war in Iran over medicine stock supplies
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 09:26
Number of cases ‘may well rise’, Streeting says
The number of meningitis cases may continue to rise as symptoms continue to manifest following an incubation period, the health secretary has said.
Speaking to the BBC, Wes Streeting said: “We’re following that closely”.
He added: “In a normal year we would expect to see at least 350 cases – that’s roughly one a day.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, for example, if in different parts of the country we see cases presented that are unconnected to this particular outbreak in Canterbury.
“In every single one of those cases we will be testing whether there is a potential link back to the cluster in Canterbury.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 09:15
Streeting says UK ‘absolutely looking’ at war in Iran over medicine stock supplies
Wes Streeting has said the government is “managing” medicine stock supplies amid the war in Iran.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the health secretary said the global situation can impact the NHS but that any knock-on effects to medicine supply are being closely monitored.
“We are absolutely looking at whats going on in the war in Iran and managing that,” he said.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 08:57
‘We’re not advising people to get the vaccine privately,’ Streeting says
Wes Streeting has said the government is not advising people to get the meningitis B vaccine privately following an outbreak in Kent.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain (GMB) he said he would not take a “knee-jerk” response to vaccinations when asked if he would roll out a national programme.
He said he was “not worried” about vaccine supply in the NHS.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 08:48
‘We’ve got plenty of supply’, Streeting insists amid private vaccine shortages
The health secretary has said there is “plenty of supply” of meningitis B vaccines for those who need it.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Wes Streeting said nobody who needs the vaccine will be forced to get it privately.
It comes after Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said there is currently no stock of meningitis B vaccines available for people to buy privately.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 08:37
‘We’re managing this nationally – that is not the same as a national incident’, Streeting says
Wes Streeting has said that while the response to the meningitis outbreak is being managed nationally, this is not the same as a national incident such as the one declared during the Covid pandemic.
The UKHSA previously said: “A national incident is a formal operational status used when the health service is under significant system-wide pressure, which is not the case here”.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 08:35
Streeting denies concern over outbreak spreading nationally
Wes Streeting is speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning regarding the meningitis outbreak.
Asked whether he is concerned about the outbreak spreading nationally he said: “No”.
He reiterated meningitis is spread through close contact like kissing and sharing vapes, rather than by sitting on a train, for example.
The health secretary added anyone who was in Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5-7 should seek antibiotics from their GP.
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 March 2026 08:31