Scientists discover why Kent meningitis outbreak was so severe
Experts stress the meningitis vaccine currently being offered to more than a million young people starting university protects against it. These events, while rare and unpredictable, could happen again, so experts "should not take their eye off the ball", she added. Scientists say speed and severity of the Kent outbreak was very unusual.
- ▪Experts stress the meningitis vaccine currently being offered to more than a million young people starting university protects against it.
- ▪These events, while rare and unpredictable, could happen again, so experts "should not take their eye off the ball", she added.
- ▪Scientists say speed and severity of the Kent outbreak was very unusual.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmdx5pp6rxqyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:04 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-22T02:08:50.232Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-22T02:08:50.232Z |
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Scientists discover why Kent meningitis outbreak was so severeImage source, ReutersByJim Reed, Philippa Roxby and Michelle RobertsPublished54 minutes agoScientists say they have discovered why the bacteria responsible for the UK's worst outbreak of meningitis B in Kent earlier this year proved so dangerous.More than 20 young people, mostly students, were infected in the March outbreak, linked to a Canterbury nightclub. All needed hospital treatment, while nine ended up in intensive care and two died.Experts at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the University of Oxford, who have looked at the DNA of the bacterium, external, say it picked up some genetic material from other bugs found naturally in the throats of some people.This exchange created a new strain or variant that then…
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