Parents face Easter quandary on meningitis. These are the actual risks

Health officials cannot guarantee that the wave of meningitis B (MenB) cases in Kent has been contained – with warnings it could take weeks before the outbreak is resolved.

As students return home for the Easter break, authorities continue to investigate whether a new, more infectious mutated strain is behind the spike – potentially putting the wider public at risk.

Frightened parents face the dilemma of welcoming their children home from university or telling them to remain in place in order to prevent the spread to other relatives. GPs and pharmacies say they have been inundated with meningitis-related enquiries from those with university-aged children.

“What we’ve got here is a super-spreading event,” Andrew Lee, professor of public health at the University of Sheffield said.

Concerns first arose last week when two MenB cases linked to the University of Kent emerged. As of Friday morning, cases have risen to 29, with two fatalities, in what experts have described as an unprecedented situation and “by far the quickest growing outbreak” they have experienced.

​Dr Anjan Ghosh, director of public health at Kent County Council, said health officials believe they may see “some sporadic household cases outside of Kent” if the infection was incubating in individuals when they left the area.

MenB has an incubation period – the time between getting infected and starting to show symptoms – of up to 14 days, meaning it is possible that infections from the initial exposure event at the Club Chemistry nightclub could still present as illnesses this weekend.

There is also a risk that the bacteria which causes the disease could linger in people’s throats for weeks, which is why a targeted vaccination programme has been launched. But chemoprophylaxis, preventative antibiotics, are the primary intervention for stopping a catastrophic spread.

Dr Chris Eades, consultant in infectious diseases and medical mycology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Vaccines do not provide immediate protection if you’ve been exposed to the bacteria.”

“It will take at least a few weeks for that level of immunity to kind of rise up in the body. And in that time invasive meningococcal disease can happen very rapidly.”

Initially, health officials said that the MenB vaccine would only be available for the 5,000 students that live on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus, but shortly afterwards extended this to include anyone offered a preventative antibiotic.

Some 2,360 people received their first dose of the vaccine by Thursday evening, with a second dose due in four weeks, but more than 100 students in Kent were turned away while trying to get the jab.

For over a decade, campaigners have called for it to be made available to teenagers and young adults.

The NHS has offered the MenB vaccine, Bexsero, to infants only since 2015. To get a full course of two or three doses privately at any age it will cost up to £330.

Michael Kenny, the father of sixth-form student Juliette, who died from MenB following the outbreak, said: “Now is the time to ensure families are safe from the impact of MenB.”

Vaccine supplies hit as pharmacies set waiting lists

The Health Secretary announced 20,000 MenB vaccines will be made available to pharmacies, giving 2,000 stock to supply to patients wanting to pay for the jab. However, Wes Streeting said this was “not necessary”, given the risk to the general public is understood to be low.

It comes after many pharmacies said they had “no vaccines left” and Boots launched a waiting list.

The National Pharmacy Association, which represents around 6,000 pharmacies across the country, said it is “unlikely” to meet current levels of demand.

Health officials are investigating if a new, mutated strain of meningococcal group B has caused the “explosion” of cases.

Another possibility being explored is that it has something to do with a particular behaviour.

“Maybe they were sharing drinks, maybe they were sharing vapes, for example,” Lee added.

To help stop onward transmission and serious illness, contacts are being traced, and GPs across the country have been advised to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited Club Chemistry between 5 and 15 March as well as Kent students. Several people attended the venue before they became unwell.

Around 10,000 single doses of antibiotic Ciprofloxacin have been prescribed to those at highest risk of infection, including close contacts of confirmed cases.

The fast-acting drug is highly effective in preventing the contraction and spread of MenB in 90 per cent of cases, data shows.

But due to the risk of bystander strains becoming drug-resistant, officials do not recommend chemoprophylaxis for people outside the specified groups.

“Decisions around antibiotic use must always take into account the potential risk of driving antimicrobial resistance if these medications are used in an inappropriate way,” the UKHSA said.