Number of confirmed cases of meningitis rises to 34 amid outbreak in Kent | ITV News
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2026-03-19/number-of-confirmed-cases-of-meningitis-rises-to-27-amid-outbreak-in-kent?utm_source=NewsApp&utm_medium=SocialShare
Posted by topotaul
4 Comments
This is an extraordinary outbreak for something that is typically quite hard to catch. Young people in the prime of their lives rarely have to worry about getting seriously ill. I look forward to finding out the facts about how it has spread. The information vacuum is predictably being filled with conspiracy theories
Can we not make a big deal like this again? I am not giving the government the power to lock down my life again for 2 years…
I’m interested in knowing how this has spread, my understanding is that it’s not easily transmitted and requires close contact. What on Earth happened here?
You have an unvaccinated group living in close quarters and whose social behaviours make it extraordinarily more likely for contagion transmission.
Drink sharing, vape sharing, higher frequencies of intimate contact, lower hygiene practices aren’t uncommon.
The appearance of the sunshine will be an exasperating factor I’m sure in number and duration of direct social contact.
This is a terrible terrible thing and a tragedy for quite a few families right now, but no conspiracy or anything that I find particularly completely shocking. Unusual and uncommon yes, but not surprising when an inevitable happens. Outbreaks like this are a when question not an if question.
(Uni I&I ex-microbiology researcher. I’m still in I&I but work across CTU now on all sorts)