Meningitis Outbreak in Kent: Urgent Action Needed

0:00On March 17th, a meningitis outbreak in Ken has claimed two student lives and left 11 people gravely ill with the UK Health Security Agency. Confirming the strain as Group B or Men B, the most common type in the UK, routine vaccinations for Men B only started in 2015 for babies and young children, leaving many teens and university students unprotected, as they got shots for other strains around age 13 or 14. People suspected disease spread quickly through schools, the University of Kent, and a popular nightclub called Club Chemistry, possibly fueled. By young people sharing babes during events from March 5th to 7, health teams sprang into action, handing out preventative antibiotics to 2,000 students on campus amid long queues while urging thousands more. Nightclub visitors and contacts to come forward for treatment. Schools in the area are in high alert, some closing year 13 classes and canceling events as experts work to contain the outbreak before it.