The meningitis outbreak has claimed the lives of two young adults with at least 11 people treated in hospital, as students queue for antibiotics to protect against it
A meningitis outbreak that has killed two people has been linked to a house party in Kent, and reportedly left a teenager in a coma.
One 18-year-old sixth form pupil, named only as Juliette, and a University of Kent student have died following the outbreak. Cases have been recorded across the county and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said at least 11 people were being treated in hospital due to the outbreak.
A house party in Whitstable has now been linked to the outbreak, with one of attendees being diagnosed with the deadly disease. The party, held at a private address on Saturday, has also resulted in a boy – aged between 17 or 18 – falling into a coma.
READ MORE: Meningitis symptoms, risk and how to protect yourself, professor explains allREAD MORE: Warning that vapes can spread meningitis in deadly outbreak
One pupil said he heard one of the people who attended the party was now in a coma. The pupil added they did not know the person who fell ill and that they were a friend’s friend.
Meanwhile, two other people who were at the party in Whitstable on Saturday said that one of their friends was already in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis, according to the Daily Mail.
Following Juliette’s death, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School headteacher Amelia McIlroy, said: “We’ve got a lot of very upset children. It is with great sadness that we are confirming the loss of Juliette – a much loved and treasured member of our school community.
“Juliette was a student at our school for seven years. She was incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent, and she loved our school. She was really very happy here.
“Juliette embraced everything that school had to offer, with great enthusiasm and joy, and her humour and her positivity were captivating. In short she was a lovely girl. Her beautiful smile, her loving nature and her sense of fun will be hugely missed.”
Meningitis is most common in babies, children and young adults and can be serious if not treated quickly. Symptoms include fevers, headaches, rashes, seizures, vomiting, drowsiness and a stiff neck.
It can be spread through close, direct contact with an infected person’s saliva or mucus, such as coughing, sneezing and sharing utensils. The current strain behind the Kent outbreak is group B.
Meningitis B is the most common variant in the UK, according to experts. Vaccination for Meningitis B for babies and young children was rolled out from 2015, which means that current students may not have been covered, according to the BBC.
Keith Neal, a retired professor of epidemiology of infectious disease at the University of Nottingham, said: “Risk to those in the Kent area is low although this is a community outbreak so there is a small risk; I suspect in the older teenage and student groups. Under 5s are most at risk to becoming seriously unwell with meningitis but teenagers and students are at a higher risk due to social mixing.”
