MenB jab to be offered to some Year 11 school pupils in Kent as cases fall

The meningitis B vaccination programme will be expanded to include Year 11 pupils at schools affected by the outbreak in Kent, health officials have said.

It comes as new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show the number of cases of the illness have fallen.

The agency has also published further details on the outbreak, including the potential main drivers.

As of 12.30pm on Monday, 20 cases of meningitis had been confirmed, with a further three under investigation, bringing the total to 23.

This was down from 29 on Sunday, when 20 cases were confirmed and a further nine were under investigation.

Officials started vaccinating University of Kent students on Wednesday March 18.

The following day, on a visit to the campus, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the programme would be expanded to more people, including sixth form pupils at four schools with known or suspected cases of menB.

Ministers have now agreed to offer jabs to Year 11 pupils at these schools, the UKHSA said.

Officials said widening the programme is a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection.

As of lunchtime on Monday, 13,088 doses of antibiotics had been given out in Kent along with more than 10,000 vaccine doses.

The UKHSA has now published further details on the outbreak, including its potential main drivers.

Experts looked at three possibilities – the strain, immunity of the affected population, and social factors.

The UKHSA said it is a “realistic possibility” the strain is the “main driver”.

However, it added: “Given the unusual nature of the outbreak, it is highly likely that all three factors are contributing.”

Officials confirmed last week the strain behind the outbreak belongs to a group of bacteria known as group B meningococci, with a recently emerged subtype that has been present in England since 2020.

However, the UKHSA suspects the genome of the bacteria has “multiple potentially significant genetic differences when compared to the most closely related genomes”.

These are now being evaluated to help officials understand how they may change the behaviour of the bacteria.

Analysis by the agency has shown the strain that caused the outbreak in Kent does respond to antibiotics and the menB vaccine.

Experts said it is too early to tell if the strain led to more severe cases or is more transmissible, with tests ongoing.

The UKHSA also confirmed the cases have a median age of 19, and while the majority are in education, five are not students.

Most patients (87%) attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury at least once between March 5 and 7 before becoming unwell.

Most of those were students, and the three cases who did not go to the nightclub are all University of Kent students living in halls with links to those who did attend.

The earliest known case became unwell on March 9, and the latest on March 16.

According to the UKHSA, the peak of the outbreak – with the largest number of cases reported – was on March 13.

Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, said: “This preliminary analysis offers strong reassurance that our existing vaccinations and antibiotic treatment offer will be effective against this strain.

“In collaboration with the research community, we will continue intensive laboratory investigations of the strain to determine how the spread of the outbreak may have been influenced by the bacterial strain, social or environmental conditions, and population immunity.”

All patients in the Kent outbreak have required hospital admission. Nine were admitted to the intensive care unit, where four remain.

The two students who have died are 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who was described by her family as “fit, healthy and strong” before her death, and a University of Kent student.