‘The videos are terrifying’: students describe spreading panic amid Kent meningitis outbreak
On Monday morning, nine days after a night out at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury, Joe Bradshaw realised he had been linked to the meningitis outbreak in Kent that has killed two people, a university student and a sixth-former.He ran through the week in his mind, beginning to worry about those he had been in contact with.“I’m less concerned about my own health than spreading [the infection] to other vulnerable people,” he said.“My mum’s just come out of surgery so her immune system is relatively suppressed.”Bradshaw, 23, is one of the many young people in Canterbury shocked by news of the outbreak.
Hundreds of students at the University of Kent spent the day queueing for antibiotics,All of their in-person exams have been moved online as authorities seek to bring the situation under control,Students described fear and panic spreading through their community as the term comes to an end,Many fled in the night, with concerned parents coming to pick them up,In the queue for medicine on campus was Aram, 22, a criminology and politics student.
He lives in Tyler Court, where students received an urgent message from the university warning them of potential contact with the infection,“I’m like half a metre away from these people, so I was pretty nervous,” said Aram,“A lot of my flatmates already left,Their parents picked them up at like one in the morning,Actually, I think I’ll be the only guy in that flat now that all my friends are gone.
”He went on to describe people running down the stairs with TVs and other belongings, packing them into their parents’ cars.Anyone can catch meningitis, but young people, especially those in large social communities such as universities and colleges are especially susceptible.In such a dense social environment, it’s easy for students to connect themselves to the spreading infection.One of Aram’s friends lives with someone who has been hospitalised with meningitis; another student is anxiously texting a friend from lacrosse whose flatmate has symptoms.As of Monday evening, the disease was at the university and three schools in the area, with two people confirmed to have died.
One, a student at the university, had not been named.The other was a year 13 student at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school named Juliette.One of Juliette’s classmates, Sammy Wright, described her as a “bright character, always very happy, kind”.“She was in our PE class, she was in our class right at the beginning of the week.It’s just a shock to hear what happened,” said Sammy.
Among the remaining university population, students were rallying together, and checking in frequently on each other.Ben Tostevin, a drama and theatre student, was glad to see most of his friends in good health scattered throughout the medicine queue.He lives in town, and, while generally supportive of the institutional response to the outbreak, had some concerns.“I’m surprised the campus has remained open,” he said.“But it’s uni leadership doing what they think needs to be done.
”His friend Sofia Malanga described online posts as exacerbating the fear among students.“There’s a lot going around on social media that makes it more scary.The videos are terrifying.”The pair described the framing on social media as “overegging certain things”, focusing on clips of people in white hazmat suits walking around the campus.Other students have reported seeing this in person.
The UKHSA has advised that anyone who thinks they, or someone they care for, could have meningitis, septicaemia or sepsis should call 999 or go to their nearest A&E.
‘The videos are terrifying’: students describe spreading panic amid Kent meningitis outbreak
On Monday morning, nine days after a night out at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury, Joe Bradshaw realised he had been linked to the meningitis outbreak in Kent that has killed two people, a university student and a sixth-former.He ran through the week in his mind, beginning to worry about those he had been in contact with.“I’m less concerned about my own health than spreading [the infection] to other vulnerable people,” he said. “My mum’s just come out of surgery so her immune system is relatively suppressed.”Bradshaw, 23, is one of the many young people in Canterbury shocked by news of the outbreak
Meningitis outbreak at University of Kent and three schools kills two young people with 11 in hospital
A university and three schools have been struck by an outbreak of invasive meningitis that has killed two young people and left 11 others in hospital.One of the young people to have died was a student at the University of Kent, while the second was a sixth-former at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school (QEGS) in Faversham.Two other schools, Simon Langton grammar school for boys in Canterbury and Norton Knatchbull school in Ashford, confirmed that both had a year 13 student in hospital with meningitis.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday evening it was continuing to investigate the outbreak, with 13 cases notified since March 13, including the two deaths.The sixth-form student at QEGS was named as Juliette by teachers, who described her as a kind and intelligent young woman
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A sixth-form pupil and a university student in Kent have died and 11 people are believed to be seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis. We take a look at the disease, and how the situation is being managed.Meningitis is a serious condition in which the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord are infected with bacteria or a virus and become inflamed. It can come on suddenly and can be fatal.The current outbreak appears to involve invasive meningococcal disease
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