Kent meningitis outbreak has been contained, health officials believe

There is growing confidence that the 20 people diagnosed with the illness have not infected anyone outside the area

Health officials increasingly believe they have contained the fatal outbreak of meningitis in Kent, with no cases emerging that are not linked to the original cluster of 20.

In another boost to efforts to contain the infection, the bug that caused it has been identified as a known strain of meningitis B, the Guardian understands.

That should mean that the MenB vaccine offered to 5,000 students living in University of Kent halls of residence in Canterbury, hundreds of whom received it on Wednesday, will prove a good match.

There is growing confidence among the NHS, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and county council public health staff tackling the outbreak that the people infected in Kent, many of whom visited a nightclub on 5, 6 or 7 March, have passed it on to anyone outside the area.