Two people have died and several more are in hospital, following an outbreak of an \u201cinvasive\u201d disease in the Canterbury area of Kent.<\/p>\n
Health officials say they are aware of 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease in the Canterbury area since Friday, but the specific strain isn’t yet known. <\/p>\n
Meningococcal disease is a rapidly progressing bacterial infection, which often leads to conditions such as meningitis and septicaemia. It is an uncommon but serious disease caused by meningococcal bacteria.<\/p>\n
The cases have been reported between Friday (13 March) and Sunday (15 March). <\/p>\n
On Sunday evening, the University of Kent confirmed one of those who died was a university student.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson told ITV Meridian: \u201cWe are deeply saddened to confirm that one student from the University of Kent has died following a case of invasive meningitis.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts are with the student\u2019s family, friends and the wider university community at this extremely difficult time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority. We are working closely with public health teams and are in touch with staff and students to ensure they get the advice and support they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to monitor the situation and keep our community informed.\u201d<\/p>\n
A building on the University of Kent campus. Credit: ITV Meridian<\/p>\n
Symptoms of meningitis include headaches, fever and a stiff neck. Anyone who feels unwell, or believes they may have the disease, should call 111, health bosses said. <\/p>\n
If you are seriously ill, the advice is to go straight to hospital or dial 999 immediately.<\/p>\n
The University of Kent says there will be no in-person assessments this week. <\/p>\n
In a statement it said: “Your school will be in touch with you directly to provide further details about alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n
“Our campuses will remain open, but please keep an eye on your emails as we will continue to update students directly.<\/p>\n
“We recognise that this is a difficult and sad time for all in our community, and support is available for anyone who may need it.”<\/p>\n
The UK Health Security Agency and the NHS are now arranging antibiotics for some students at the University of Kent following the incident. <\/p>\n
ITV Meridian understands that students with no symptoms will be able to access antibiotics on the University campus today (Monday 16 March). <\/p>\n
In the meantime, those who are well and currently symptom free, should not attend hospital, as it could delay treatment for those who genuinely need it. <\/p>\n
People should also check in on friends who are unwell. Taking action, the UKHSA says, is vital, and “could save their life”. <\/p>\n
The University of Kent told ITV Meridian that it is working with the NHS and UKHSA to ensure staff and students are informed of the situation. <\/p>\n
A promotional poster displaying the signs of sepsis. Credit: UK Sepsis Trust<\/p>\n
The UKHSA says that \u201cvery occasionally\u201d meningococcal bacteria can cause serious illness, including inflammation of the lining of the brain and blood poisoning, which can rapidly lead to sepsis.<\/p>\n
Trish Mannes, UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: \u201cWe understand that many people at the university and in the wider community will be affected by this sad news and we would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents and staff will understandably be feeling worried about the risk of further cases; however, we would like to reassure them that close contacts of cases have been given antibiotics as a precautionary measure.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvice and support is being offered to the wider student community, and to local hospitals and NHS 111, and we\u2019re monitoring the situation closely.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeningococcal disease can progress rapidly, so it\u2019s essential that students and staff are alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, which can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet. Septicaemia can also cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed against a glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents 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, flu or even a hangover.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s vital that, if a friend goes to bed unwell, you check on them regularly and don\u2019t hesitate to seek medical help by contacting their GP or calling NHS 111 if they have these symptoms or you\u2019re concerned about them. This could save their life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antibiotics can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. Credit: PA<\/p>\n
Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said: \u201cWe are deeply saddened to hear of the deaths of two young people following the reported outbreak of meningitis linked to the University of Kent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeningitis can progress very quickly and its impact is devastating, particularly for young people and their loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversity students and young adults are among the groups at increased risk because meningitis bacteria can spread more easily in settings where people live, study and socialise closely together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge students, staff and families to remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms of meningitis.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are numerous strains of the meningococcal infection.<\/p>\n
The MenACWY vaccination gives protection against MenA, MenC, MenW, and MenY and is routinely offered to teenagers in school Years 9 and 10 \u2013 and it can be given up to the age of 25 if it has been missed.<\/p>\n
However, this vaccine does not protect against all forms of meningitis. Other strains such as MenB can circulate in young adults.<\/p>\n
Reporting History sees journalists join News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below…<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two people have died and several more are in hospital, following an outbreak of an \u201cinvasive\u201d disease in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":478311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-478310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/478311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}