University of Kent ‘a ghost town’ after students flee deadly meningitis outbreak
The university campus is normally a place full of laughter, students mingling and exchanging ideas or planning their next big night out.
But many at the University of Kent have fled home after a deadly outbreak of meningitis claimed the lives of two young people and left around a dozen in hospital.
Now the campus is patrolled by health authorities in full hazmat suits overnight, with the only queues for life-saving antibiotics and face masks, not the student union.
Some have holed themselves up in their dorms in fear of spreading the contagion, as others suffer ‘flashbacks to Covid-19’ and have crucial exams cancelled at the last minute.
The outbreak, believed to have spread at Canterbury’s Club Chemistry nearly a fortnight ago, has killed a Year 13 pupil in Faversham called Juliette and a student at the University of Kent.
Matthew McKeague, 18, a military history student at the University, said many of his friends had gone.
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He said: ‘It’s just a ghost town here now. This is just unheard of.
‘Most people have left university a week early but I have my essays this week and it’s easier to do my research here, so I’m staying on.
‘I’m a commuter, so arguably, it’s even more important to take antibiotics so I don’t risk spreading it further.’
Isak Rydberg was collecting antibiotics from Westgate Hall in Central Canterbury today and has been left fearful at the situation.
He said: ‘I’ve come to pick up antibiotics because of my friends visiting Club Chemistry. I’m worried because I’ve come into close contact with them.
‘We are exchange students from Sweden and unfortunately this has all happened when we’ve only got two weeks left here. It has been scary with these two deaths.
‘During the pandemic, Sweden was very open, so this is quite unlike what I experienced there. I feel much more under threat now than I ever did with COVID because it didn’t affect younger people much.’
(Picture: Mark Large/Daily Mail.)
A University of Kent spokesperson said they were working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to formulate their response.
They said: ‘We recognise that this is a very sad and worrying time for our community and we are doing everything we can to offer advice and support.
‘This is a regional public health matter and not specific to the University.
‘Known contacts of existing cases in our community have been contacted and advised on next steps.
‘Students impacted are being offered antibiotic treatment on our Canterbury campus.’
It has emerged French authorities alerted public health officials about a University of Kent student who contracted meningitis.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the infection of a university student was first flagged on Friday.
Streeting added: ‘Both cases lived in private accommodation and at that stage there were no apparent link between the two.’
Students at the University of Kent say ‘serious questions’ need to be asked of the authorities over the outbreak believed to have started at a Fresher’s night at a packed nightclub.
Louise Jones-Roberts, the owner of Club Chemistry, said a staff member at the club is confirmed to have contracted meningitis and is doing well with treatment. Two others with suspected meningitis have since been given the all clear for the infection.
It comes as masks continue to be handed out, social distancing has returned and antibiotics are being handed out at different sites.
Ryan Peters, 19, said: ‘How did it get this bad is my question? Why was it allowed to spread? After Covid, how has this happened? I thought we would have been more prepared.”
Student Jessica Parks, 21, said: ‘It’s so scary. A good friend of mine has it. I am terrified. I didn’t want to leave my house yesterday. Today I have been forced to come out to get the medication.
‘It’s horrendous.’
Some students were waiting over an hour at the university for antibiotics.
The first victim of the outbreak named was 18-year-old Juliette, a sixth form student from Faversham.
Her father tells the BBC that the family are ‘beyond devastated and they have no words to express their loss.’
Her family has requested her surname not be publicised.
Earlier, we heard from Amelia McIlroy, the headteacher at her school, who said Juliette ’embraced everything the school had to offer and was genuinely caring’.
What is meningitis B and why are young people at risk?
Health officials have confirmed that meningitis B is the strain identified in some of the cases in Kent.
An 18-year-old A-level student called Juliette and a university student have died in the outbreak.
But what is meningitis B? And why are young people at risk?
– What is meningitis?
Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Bacterial meningitis is rarer but more serious than viral meningitis.
It can affect anyone but is more common in babies, children, teenagers and young adults.
Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly, and can lead to life-threatening sepsis and permanent damage to the brain or nerves.
– So what is meningitis B?
One of the bacteria which causes meningitis is called meningococcus, which can live harmlessly in people’s throats but can cause serious illness if it gets into the blood or spinal fluid.
There are different types of this bacteria and the most common is known as type B – what is often referred to as meningitis B, or MenB.
According to Meningitis Now, MenB is one of the most common causes of meningitis in the UK.
– Is there a vaccine?
There are multiple meningitis vaccines available in the UK.
But the majority of young people born before 2015 are not protected against meningitis B unless they have had the jab privately.
It was introduced on the NHS for babies in 2015.
The MenB jab offers protection against meningococcal group B bacteria and is recommended for babies aged eight weeks, followed by a second dose at 12 weeks and a booster at one year.
Other routine childhood jabs, including the 6-in-1 and pneumococcal vaccines, can protect against meningitis.
Elsewhere, the MenACWY vaccine is a single dose jab that protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria. It was also introduced in 2015.
It is offered to teenagers in school and is also available to those entering university, up to the age of 25.
– Can young people get the MenB jab?
Meningitis Now has called for teenagers and young people to be vaccinated against meningitis B on the NHS.
It launched a new campaign – No Plan B for men B – calling for men B jabs to be given to those most at risk plus a booster programme to protect adolescents from 2030.
The charity also says men B jabs should be available on the high street ‘at a fair price’.
The jab is available privately, costing around £110 per dose, with a minimum of two doses required.
– Why are young people at risk?
According to Meningitis Now, one in four 15 to 19-year-olds carry meningococcal bacteria in the back of their throats, compared with one in 10 of the UK population.
People can carry this harmlessly without becoming unwell but it can be passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing and kissing.
Increased social interaction in this age group means the bacteria can be passed on more easily.
In universities, students can be more vulnerable because of living in more ‘cramped’ housing or halls of residence. Young people also come together from all over the world to live, study and socialise.
– What are the symptoms of menigitis?
Symptoms of meningitis and sepsis can include a high temperature, cold hands and feet, vomiting, confusion, muscle and joint pain, pale, mottled or blotchy skin, spots or a rash, a headache, a stiff neck, aversion to bright lights, being very sleepy and seizures.
Symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all.
– How is meningitis treated?
Hospital treatment is recommended by the NHS for all cases of bacterial meningitis.
Treatments include antibiotics and fluids administered directly into a vein, oxygen if there are breathing difficulties, and in some cases steroid medication to prevent swelling around the brain.
Patients may need to stay in hospital for a few days or weeks.
In cases of mild meningitis, patients may be sent home if tests confirm it is viral, which usually gets better on its own. Most patients start to feel better within seven to 10 days.
But severe viral meningitis may also be treated in hospital.