As the health authority UKHSA announced, 2,360 vaccinations had been carried out and over 9,000 doses of antibiotics had been administered by Thursday evening.Image: AP PA
British authorities continue to grapple with a meningitis outbreak in southern England.
Mar 20, 2026, 1:33 p.mMar 20, 2026, 1:33 p.m
The reported on Friday morning Health authority UKHSA again increases infections with meningococcal subgroup B; 13 cases were confirmed, compared to nine the day before.
A total of 18 meningococcal infections were detected, plus eleven suspected cases.
Meningococci B are bacteria that can cause severe inflammation of the meninges (meningitis) and blood poisoning (sepsis). The disease can progress very quickly. Two young people have died from meningitis in the region in recent days – an 18-year-old student and a young person studying at the University of Kent.
As the authority announced, 2,360 vaccinations had been carried out and over 9,000 doses of antibiotics had been administered by Thursday evening. Previously, visitors to a nightclub in particular had been called upon to seek preventive treatment.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) meningitis guidelines, antibiotic therapy should be started immediately if there is a reasonable clinical suspicion of meningococcal disease. The bacteria are transmitted through droplet infection – coughing, sneezing, kissing. The first signs of infection are often flu-like – fever, headache, nausea, chills, fatigue. Severe cases can lead to septic shock, organ failure and brain damage. (sda/dpa)