School student is second person to die from Kent meningitis outbreak, says MP

A school pupil has been confirmed as the second person to have died after an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, an MP has said.

Over the weekend it was reported that a University of Kent student was one of two people to have died after contracting the disease, while 11 more people were seriously ill in hospital.

On Monday, Helen Whately, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, said: “The meningitis outbreak in our area is a huge shock. Feeling so deeply sad for the young lives lost – a year 13 pupil at QEGS [Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school] and a uni of Kent student. My heart goes out to their families.”

In a post on Facebook, she added: “It’s incredibly worrying too for the families of the young people in hospital, and others at risk. I am asking the NHS urgently for more information and guidance, especially given the rumours going round about where they may have picked it up.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had provided antibiotics to students in the Canterbury area after it detected 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease; a combination of meningitis and septicaemia.

The fast-acting disease is caused by meningococcal bacteria spreading to the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which causes meningitis, and infecting the bloodstream, which causes sepsis.

The UKHSA said anyone with meningitis and septicaemia symptoms should seek medical help urgently, and that it could help save lives.

Symptoms include rashes, a sudden fever, severe headaches, a stiff neck, vomiting and diarrhoea, joint and muscle pain, sensitivity to bright lights, cold hands and feet, seizures, confusion and extreme sleepiness.

UKHSA specialists have been interviewing the families of those affected to identify close contacts and to arrange antibiotics. The specific strain of the disease has not been identified.

Trish Mannes, UKHSA’s south-east deputy director, said: “We 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.

“Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly, so it’s essential that students and staff are alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia.”

She added: “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, flu or even a hangover.”

She said checking on a friend if they go to bed unwell, and seeking medical help, “could save their life”.