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Infection control measures are being ramped up as the number of meningitis cases in the Kent outbreak rises to 20, including two deaths.
One person was diagnosed at a London hospital, although they had been living in Kent and had no close contacts in the capital before seeking treatment, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
There have also been two cases in France in students who had been at the University of Kent.
The outbreak of meningitis – an infection of the membranes covering the brain – has been linked to a Canterbury nightclub called Club Chemistry, with cases involving university students and those at four secondary schools in the area.
Doctors are offering antibiotics – which can stop the disease before symptoms start – to all those who were at the club over three days in early March or could have mixed with cases elsewhere.
University students will also be offered a meningitis vaccine.
Here’s what you need to know about the outbreak:
How contagious is meningitis?
Students in Kent have been pictured wearing face masks, as was seen during Covid surges. However, the bacteria that cause this type of meningitis are not as contagious as the viruses that cause Covid or flu.
The most common way for bacterial meningitis to spread is through close contact, especially kissing. Coughing and sneezing can also spread the bug in droplets of saliva.
“We are not talking about aerosols spreading over long distances,” said Professor Mark Fielder, a microbiologist at Kingston University.
“Close contact is defined as prolonged close contact with the case in a household setting during the seven days before onset of illness,” added Professor Paul Hunter, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia.
However, Professor Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University, said it was reasonable for Kent students to wear masks temporarily. “It’s something I’m generally favourable of where you have sites with known cases until contact tracers have proven the risk is over,” he said.
How unusual is this outbreak?
There are several bacteria and viruses that cause meningitis and cases have been reducing over the past decades as more vaccines have been rolled out. But there are still a few hundred cases a year of the dangerous form of meningitis caused by bacteria, including this outbreak.
In the year 2024-2025, there were 378 cases, 8 per cent of which were fatal. University students are often affected, because the bacteria that cause this kind of meningitis may be carried harmlessly in the nose, and meeting lots of new people can mean they are exposed to different strains for the first time. “Universities are a veritable Petri dish for swapping germs,” said Williams.
In other university outbreaks, antibiotics have been offered to close contacts, as here. But the numbers affected in Kent are ringing alarm bells. “Most clusters of invasive meningitis are small, only involving two or three patients,” said Hunter. “This is bigger.”
Why do the bacteria become deadly?
Meningitis bacteria can be carried harmlessly in the nose and throat in about 10 per cent of the general population, and in up to 25 per cent of adolescents. This may help the carrier build up immunity to that strain of meningitis.
In some people, for unknown reasons, the bacteria cross from the nasal passages into the bloodstream, causing sepsis, which can be deadly or lead to loss of limbs. If the bacteria reach the membranes covering the brain, this is meningitis, which can also be fatal.
The Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. The MenB vaccine against the strain of bug behind this outbreak has been available since 2015 (Photo: ChrisChrisW/Getty) Why have a nightclub and vapes been implicated?
“Nightclubs are a problem because people are quite squashed together, said Professor Fielder. “Voices are louder because of shouting over the music.” This could generate more droplets of saliva.
One of the young women in the outbreak may have caught the infection by sharing a vape, her mother told the Mirror. “You have got saliva on a vape, it’s not impossible that that’s a route,” said Fielder. But he added: “I haven’t seen any evidence it can be spread by vape-sharing.”
Who is protected by the vaccine?
The current outbreak is thought to be caused by one of the Group B meningitis bacteria strains, Neisseria meningitidis. The MenB vaccine against this group has been available since 2015, but it is only offered to babies on the NHS, so most people over the age of 11 won’t have had it.
It is available privately but a full MenB course can cost up to £330.
The vaccine does not protect against all of the Group B bacteria. The UK Health Security Agency is testing samples from the Kent cases to see which one of the Group B bacteria they are caused by – to see if the jab would give protection.
How well does the vaccine work?
The vaccine reduced meningitis caused by Group B bacteria by three quarters, according to Government figures. But it does not stop people carrying the bacteria harmlessly in their nose.
It also takes from days to weeks to provide protection. “It takes time for the immune response to kick in after the jab and so the absolute priority today is to ensure that those who have been exposed get antibiotics to stop them developing the disease or spreading the B germs to others,” said Professor Andrew Pollard, a vaccine expert at the University of Oxford.
Could the outbreak be caused by a new strain?
The relatively large cluster of cases has left some experts speculating that they may be caused by Group B bacteria of a slightly different strain.
“A sudden change in disease pattern could indicate something like a new strain with different behaviours,” said Professor Andrew Preston, microbiologist the University of Bath.
But Fielder said: “We don’t know that yet. It’s difficult to speculate and not helpful.”
Could other university students get infected?
“This is localised – we should not spread panic to parents who have children at other universities, said Williams. “It’s not like Covid, which can quickly spread from place to place. But I think it’s important young people are made aware of the symptoms.”
Possible symptoms of meningitis include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting, and cold hands and feet. Sepsis, which can be caused by meningitis, can also cause a rash that does not fade when pressed against a glass.
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