A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the city of Canterbury has caused alarm in the United Kingdom, after two people died and at least 29 others are suspected of being infected.
British public health authorities suspect that the outbreak began at a city nightclub, Club Chemistry, where many students had attended between March 5 and 7.
Immediate preventive measures have been put in place on the university campus. Students and people who were at the nightclub have been given preventive antibiotics, which authorities say are effective in about 90% of cases. Thousands of students and university staff are also being vaccinated against the identified variant of the group B meningococcal bacteria.
Footage from the campus shows long lines of masked students waiting to be vaccinated, a situation that for many has brought back memories of the Covid-19 pandemic. The university has also decided to move this week's exams online, and many students have returned home for safety reasons.
Meningitis is a serious infection that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can also lead to blood infection. According to experts, it is spread mainly through close contact, which is why such outbreaks are more common in student communities where people live close to each other.
However, British Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated that the risk remains low and that the situation is being closely monitored by health authorities.
