Meningitis can kill, or leave patients with lifelong complications – but despite a deadly outbreak in Kent claiming two lives, not many people are familiar with how the infection spreads
Health officials have issued a reminder over the key ways meningitis spreads amid a new deadly outbreak.
Two people – a Year 13 pupil at a local sixth form college and a 24-year-old student at the University of Kent – died following an outbreak of the infectious disease in Kent, while 11 remain seriously ill in hospital. Queues were seen building around a university campus in Canterbury this morning as students took up the offer of free antibiotics, while more than 30,000 people in the area are being contacted by the UK Health Security Agency to alert them to the risk of contracting meningitis.
The new outbreak – described as the largest in “many, many years” – has prompted new calls for greater awareness over the disease, its symptoms and how it is spread.
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How does meningitis spread?
There are two main types of meningitis – bacterial and viral.
Bacterial meningitis is rarer but typically has more serious health consequences than viral meningitis, according to the NHS, potentially leading to amputation of limbs or death.
Meningitis is usually caught from coming into contact with droplets from people who carry the viruses or bacteria in their nose or throat, but are not ill themselves.
It can also be caught from someone who has meningitis, but this is less common.
Both types of meningitis can be spread through:
How many people die from meningitis in Britain each year?
In England, there were 31 recorded deaths from bacterial meningitis out of 378 cases during the 2024/25 epidemiological year, according to the UKHSA.
Around 1 in 10 cases of bacterial meningitis are fatal, according to the NHS.
Death rates have dropped significantly since the introduction of key vaccines, which is usually given to children when they’re 13 or 14 years old but can be given as a catch-up dose to the age of 25 years.
Before the MenC vaccine was introduced in 1999, there were roughly 78 deaths per year in young people under 20 alone.
Telltale rash and other symptoms of meningitis
Explaining the symptoms of meningitis after the deaths of two young people were confirmed in Kent, Trish Mannes, UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: “Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly, so it’s essential that students and staff are alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, which can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet.
“Septicaemia can also cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed against a glass.
“Students are particularly at risk of missing the early warning signs of meningitis because they can be easily confused with other illnesses such as a bad cold, flu or even a hangover.
“That’s why it’s vital that, if a friend goes to bed unwell, you check on them regularly and don’t hesitate to seek medical help by contacting their GP or calling NHS 111 if they have these symptoms or you’re concerned about them. This could save their life.”
