The British health minister called the deadly meningitis outbreak linked to a nightclub “unprecedented” after two students died and 13 people were sent to the hospital.
Health Minister Wes Streeting told parliament that the epidemic was a “rapidly developing situation” and that the number of verified cases had risen to 15, according to AFP.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that two people have died from the outbreak in Kent, which is in southeastern England. They were a university student who was 21 years old and a school student who was 18 years old.
The outbreak has been connected to Club Chemistry, a big three-story place in Canterbury that students like to go to.
The health security service claimed it had been “notified of 15 cases,” including those who died, up from 13 cases that had been recorded before.
It added that four instances had been found to be Meningitis B, a bacterial strain that is less common and more deadly than the viral kind.
The National Health Service says that meningitis B kills about one out of every ten people who have it.
Meningitis is an illness that affects the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord. It is most common in kids, teens, and young adults.
Streeting claimed that it can spread through close contact, such “long kissing or sharing vapes and drinks.”
The University of Kent, which has over 18,000 students, was the main target of public health efforts. Some of these students are in the hospital with meningitis.
Today, students lined up at the university’s clinic to get antibiotics. Streeting also said that students living in university halls would be able to be vaccinated.
The minister also said that French officials reported a case on Saturday involving someone in France who had gone to the University of Kent, but they didn’t give any more specifics.
The UKHSA told everyone who attended to a nightclub in Canterbury between March 5 and 7 to receive antibiotics to stop the spread of the disease.
People have criticized the health security department for allegedly taking too long to tell the public about the outbreak.
It initially said there were deaths on Sunday, two days after it first heard about instances.
Gyatri Amirthalingam, the deputy head of UKHSA, claimed that the agency acted “quickly” to find and notify others who were close to individuals who were affected.
She said, “I don’t think there has been any delay in the public health response.”
Club Chemistry posted on Instagram that one of its employees was being treated for meningitis, thus the club has closed as a safety measure.
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