Kent meningitis health chiefs accused of sitting on news for a day | UK | News

Two teenagers have died and at least 11 more people are fighting for their lives as anger grows over health officials’ decision to withhold the news for more than a day as the city struggles to contain a meningitis outbreak.

The victims included a sixth-form pupil known only as Juliette at a grammar school in Faversham and a 21-year-old student enrolled at the University of Kent. His father said the family was “beyond devastated” and “had no words to express their loss”. A third patient is understood to be in a medically induced coma.

Canterbury nightclub in the center

Ground zero of the outbreak appears to be Club Chemistry, where a series of nights between March 5 and 7 are believed to have sown the seeds of infections. The Canterbury venue attracts crowds of up to 1,600 across its three floors and has become the focus of emergency response, with four walk-in antibiotic clinics opening across the county.

Laboratory studies are ongoing to determine whether a previously unknown species is responsible for the unusually aggressive spread. According to reports, a personalized vaccine will not be produced until this analysis is completed.

Professor of microbial pathogenicity at the University of Bath. Andrew Preston said: “An outbreak of this size and speed is highly unusual and of great concern.

“It is important to characterize the cause of the outbreak. A sudden change in the disease pattern may indicate a new strain with different behavior. It will be important to determine the vaccination status of those affected.”

The disease is spreading outside the city

Confirmed cases have now emerged in schools in both Ashford and Whitstable, and authorities are particularly bracing for news that the disease has fully reached other parts of the country.

This fear is inseparable from the debate over timing. The Telegraph reported that by Friday the UKHSA had intelligence pointing to a cluster of infections, but the agency delayed its public warning until Sunday night. In the intervening period, students roamed freely at social events throughout the weekend, then boarded trains and cars to spend Mothering Sunday with their families, unaware that they might be contagious.

All staff and all 16,000 students at the University of Kent have been contacted for guidance. Individuals identified as having close contact with a confirmed case are recalled for precautionary treatment; The agency makes it clear that waiting for symptoms to develop before presenting is not an option.

Anyone experiencing the combination of a sudden fever, a crushing headache, nausea, and a rash that doesn’t go away with pressing a cup flat against the skin should seek help without delay.

‘What did they know?’

The failure to act sooner has reportedly left some families reeling. A man who identified himself only as Henk revealed his teenage son spent Saturday night at a party in Whitstable with around 40 other teenagers – after the UKHSA privately recorded the cluster but before saying a word publicly. Two children from the same meeting are now in hospital, one in a coma.

“It would have been helpful for us to have known on Friday because my son went to that party on Saturday. The question is, what did they know?” Henk reportedly said.

His son, a Year 12 pupil at Simon Langton Boys’ Grammar School in Canterbury, told the Telegraph: “The problem is the symptoms are similar to a cold, so everyone is on alert. I’m worried about finding out about this too late.”

Chris Mallet, a 20-year-old military history student, said in the report: “This information should have been shared earlier. Rumors were already circulating on Sunday.”

‘No lesson learned from the pandemic’

A former health official laid the blame squarely on corporate culture, telling reporters the UKHSA had “not learned the lessons of the pandemic”.

He said: “They will have been too focused on debating the science of the disease and not thinking too much about how real people actually behave. It probably hadn’t occurred to them that hundreds of students flocked home last weekend to see their families for Mother’s Day. As a result, they didn’t act quickly enough.”

Professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. Paul Hunter said the obstacle to intervention was cleared long before the agency moved.

He told The Telegraph: “When you have a single case it normally escalates. When you have two cases linked together that should be enough to trigger action. I’m surprised it’s come to this.” [13 cases including two deaths] before this. It looks alarming.

“We would say that disasters always come on Friday evening and there may be a tendency to avoid taking certain steps on the weekend because you know people aren’t always available. But when it’s important enough you have to act.”

Associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading. Simon Clarke pointed out that people who went to Saturday parties and later tested positive would almost certainly have been infectious at the time; This meant that earlier intervention “could have meant that children or families were placed in isolation on Mother’s Day rather than mingling with Grandma.”

He added: “Young people who have never had this disease, those over the age of 10… They are the ones at risk. We think of it as a childhood disease, but it kills adults too.”

UKHSA defends itself

Facing a barrage of criticism, the agency released a statement Monday night objecting to the timeline it had been placed on.

“UKHSA was notified of a cluster of cases late on Saturday. We took immediate action and contact with those at risk took place on Saturday evening and Sunday,” a spokesman said.

Trish Mannes, the agency’s deputy regional director for the South East, added: “Our investigations have identified some cases having visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury and it is important that anyone who visited the club between 5 and 7 March comes forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a precaution.

“If you think you may have symptoms of meningitis, do not hesitate to seek medical advice by contacting your doctor or calling NHS 111.”

The Express has contacted the UKHSA press office for further comment.