Students in Canterbury given antibiotics for fast-acting and invasive meningococcal disease, says UKHSA
Two people have died and 11 are reportedly seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis at the University of Kent.
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, which could help save lives.
