March 17 (UPI) — Two people have died out of 15 cases of bacterial meningitis at the University of Kent in England, and students are being offered a vaccine for prevention.
The vaccine has been given to children in the United Kingdom since 2015, but most people over age 10 haven’t had it as part of their childhood vaccine schedule.
The two who died from the outbreak had bacterial strain B of meningococcal disease, the U.K. Health Security Agency said. The other 11 cases are under investigation.
One of those who died from the disease is a year 13 student (around age 17 or 18) from Faversham, England, named Juliette. Her last name is withheld for her privacy, The Guardian reported. Another who died is an unnamed student at University of Kent.
UKHSA said it would begin a vaccination program for students at the Canterbury campus residence halls.
“The vaccination program may be expanded further as UKHSA continues to assess any ongoing risk to other populations,” UKHSA said.
Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunization and vaccine preventable diseases at the UKHSA, told The Guardian that a meningococcal vaccine for teens covers strains A, C, W and Y. It’s usually given around age 13.
She also said students who were given antibiotics should take them and it’s safe to go home.
“If you are a university student and you’ve been offered antibiotics, or anyone else who’s been offered antibiotics, please take that immediately and it will be absolutely fine for you to return home. It’s an effective measure for protecting yourself, but also as to your loved ones, your family and your friends.”
Some of the affected students visited Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury, the UKHSA reported.
“The UKHSA is advising anyone who visited Club Chemistry on March 5, 6 or 7, to come forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a precautionary measure,” a press release said.
One mother of a hospitalized patient suspects that her daughter caught it from a vape, The Guardian reported.
Amirthalingam confirmed that sharing a vape is one way to catch it.
“Meningococcal disease can be spread through a number of different routes. Vaping is just one. It is very much linked to close contact. There are plenty of other activities that can also promote the spread of this infection. Not specifically vaping.”
