Five new cases of the potentially fatal brain infection were found in Kent in southeast England, taking the total to 20, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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UK Health Security Agency chair Susan Hopkins said there was an “explosive nature” to the outbreak.
“This looks like a super-spreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residence in the universities,” she said.
All of those affected who are currently linked to the outbreak are young adults, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in the town of Faversham have died.
The agency said it was also aware of a baby with confirmed Meningococcal group B infection, who was not currently linked to the outbreak.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as “unprecedented” in terms of its spread.
Signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet, the agency said. Septicaemia can also cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass.
Young people going on to university or college for the first time are particularly at risk of meningitis because they mix with other students, some of whom are unknowingly carrying the bacteria at the back of their nose and throat.
The majority of cases were linked to the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury between 5-7 March, Streeting said.
The UKHSA said it had administered around 2,500 doses of antibiotics across sites in Kent.
“As a further precaution and together with the NHS, we are beginning to roll out a targeted MenB vaccination programme,” Trish Mannes, UKHSA Regional Deputy Director for the South East, said.
“This will initially be offered to 5000 university of Kent students resident at the Canterbury campus, with the possibility that it may be extended, as it is kept under continual review.”
