An urgent public health alert has been issued after a deadly meningitis outbreak in Kent, with health workers across England urged to look out for signs of infection.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the alert as a vaccination programme targeting about 5,000 students began at the University of Kent, following an outbreak thought to have originated at a nightclub in Canterbury.
A 21-year-old university student and Juliette, a sixth former at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham, have died, with the number of confirmed and suspected cases now at 20.
The UKHSA alert is unusual but has been used in recent years for MPox and other public health issues.
UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins told the BBC that it was trying to work out why the infection had spread so fast in Canterbury.
