Meningitis B cases in Kent, England, have risen to 29. Officials are encouraged that there aren’t more. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo
Cases of bacterial meningitis in Kent, England, have risen to 29, up from 27 Thursday.
Some health officials believe the outbreak has reached its peak, though the cases are expected to rise some in the coming days. “Sporadic household cases outside of Kent” are a possibility as secondary cases of those who didn’t go to the nightclub begin.
Officials believe the outbreak spread heavily at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in nearby Canterbury. Two people have died since the disease hit the area.
As hundreds line up to get the vaccine, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said vaccine eligibility will widen to anyone at Club Chemistry from March 5 to its closure on March 15. Also, late teens at four high schools and university students in Canterbury will be eligible. Initially, it was only given to students at the University of Kent and those who attended the nightclub on a few specific days.
Robin May, chief scientific officer of the United Kingdom Health Security Agency, said it is encouraging that only two cases were reported Friday. But noted that the incubation period is up to 10 days.
The Kent County Council said at a press conference that four “rough” scenarios are being modeled on the spread of the disease over the next four weeks.
“That’s the time it takes for this whole thing (to) really subside,” said Dr. Anjan Ghosh, the council’s director of public health.
The first scenario is that the outbreak remains in Kent.
The “second scenario is that there are people who’ve left, they’ve gone off campus, and many of them don’t stay in Kent, they go and stay elsewhere,” Ghosh said.
“They were incubating when they left, and then they became cases, and there are small household, sporadic clusters outside of Kent.” He said these cases would be “containable,” and that this is the most likely model.
The third scenario, Ghosh said, would be another outbreak cluster outside of Kent. He called this the “worst case scenario,” and stressed that it was “highly unlikely.”
The British National Health Service has requested 5,000 more doses of the meningitis B vaccine.
Ed Waller, deputy chief executive of NHS Kent and Medway, told a press briefing that, “6,500 doses of vaccine have been delivered to Kent and Medway from the national stock. There was a request today for a further 5,000.”
Dr. Michael Head, senior research fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton, said the case numbers will likely increase because several cases are still under investigation.
But, “given the extent of contact tracing from public health teams, and the widespread publicity, it is plausible that we are seeing the tail end of this outbreak. The strain appears to have good coverage from the men B vaccination, so this is also reassuring.”
The family of an 18-year-old who died in the outbreak is calling for a wider vaccination program, after the “fit, healthy and strong” teen died just one day after showing symptoms.
Historic March moments through the years
Founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and tennis great Billie Jean King (C) smiles with representatives after speaking during an annual Women’s History Month event in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX in Statuary Hall at the U.S .Capitol in Washington on March 9, 2022. Women’s History Month is celebrated every March. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
