Kent meningitis outbreak: a timeline of the health authorities’ response
Two young people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent as private supplies of vaccines run out.Here’s what we know about how the disease spread and what the authorities did to tackle it.All the cases of the meningitis outbreak are linked to those who attended the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury, Kent, on 5, 6 or 7 March.The club has since closed voluntarily.Anyone who attended the club on these dates or who believes they were in close contact with someone who was, has been urged to take up the offer of antibiotics.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is notified about the first case of someone being diagnosed with meningitis: a student at the University of Kent,Health officials begin identifying and tracing the patient’s immediate close contacts,They are all offered prophylactic antibiotics,The French authorities alert the UKHSA to a second confirmed case in France involving an individual who had attended the University of Kent,Both of the initial cases lived in private accommodation, but there is no apparent link between the two.
Hospitals report a number of severely unwell young people all presenting with symptoms consistent with meningococcal disease.Contact tracing of these individuals begins immediately.By Tuesday, 700 doses of antibiotics have been administered.The UKHSA starts a full-scale response, including preparations for more widespread distribution of antibiotics on the university campus in Canterbury.By 5pm, distribution to students begins at two halls of residence.
A public health alert is issued as it is confirmed that two people have died in the outbreak.It was later confirmed that one was a student at the University of Kent and one was a year 13 pupil at a school in Faversham.The UKHSA contacts headteachers at two schools where two cases were identified involving sixth formers, including the school in Faversham where a pupil died.Letters to parents are issued.The UKHSA confirms that testing shows the outbreak is a bacterial strain B of meningitis known as MenB.
Four of the initial cases, including the two fatalities, are identified as this strain with another 11 cases under investigation,The UKHSA also confirms that all those born before 2015 have had no vaccine against MenB,The UKHSA announces a targeted vaccination programme against MenB for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury,It says the programme may be expanded later,
US postal service will run out of money by February 2027, says agency chief
The US Postal Service will run out of funds within a year, unless lawmakers lift a cap on how much money the agency can borrow, according to the postmaster general.In an interview with the Associated Press, David Steiner warned that the postal service – which relies on stamps and service fees rather than tax dollars to deliver mail six days a week to every address in the country – would run out of cash for employees and vendors by February next year.The agency has operated with a financial shortfall almost every fiscal year since 2007, as people and businesses have moved toward paperless billing and digital communication, forgoing first-class mail. But mail deliveries have continued, with USPS borrowing money from the US treasury to compensate for losses.Steiner, who is scheduled to testify before Congress this month, has called for changes to a federal law that caps the agency’s borrowing at $15bn
Reeves plans to give England’s regional leaders a share of national tax revenues
Rachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up proposals to hand England’s mayors a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy.The chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster, as she promised to create investment-led growth across the UK.Reeves was delivering the Mais lecture – the second time she has given the high-profile annual address at Bayes Business School in London.It is no coincidence that the UK is “the most politically centralised of advanced democracies, and one of the most geographically unequal”, Reeves said.Treasury officials will bring forward a plan at the autumn budget to allow regional leaders to receive a share of national taxes, starting with income tax, she added
Instagram to remove end-to-end encryption for private messages in May
Instagram will stop encrypting private messages between users from May, after enduring years of criticism from law enforcement and child safety groups over the feature.Meta quietly announced this month on its help page for Instagram and in an updated 2022 news post that end-to-end encryption would no longer be available on direct messages between users on Instagram from 8 May 2026.It means Meta will be able to see the contents of messages between all users – which so far it only could for those who did not enable encryption.The feature already appeared deactivated for Australian users, when Guardian Australia tested on Wednesday.A spokesperson for Meta said the decision to abandon encryption was due to low uptake
Subnautica 2 publisher’s CEO used ChatGPT in failed bid to avoid paying US$250m bonus to own studio head, court hears
A South Korean gaming publisher who hatched a plan using ChatGPT to remove the heads of one of its own game studios in a bid to avoid paying US$250m has been ordered by a US court to reverse the removal.The dispute stems from South Korean game developer Krafton’s acquisition of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, makers of the Subnautica video game, for $500m in 2021.Krafton agreed the studio would remain independent and that its leadership would retain operational control and could only be fired for cause, according to the ruling by vice-chancellor Lori Will of the court of chancery in Delaware.If Unknown Worlds met certain targets, Krafton would pay the studio what is known as an earnout worth up to $250m.As the studio was last year ramping up to release Subnautica 2, internal projections showed it would trigger the earnout, according to the ruling
Venezuela 3-2 United States: World Baseball Classic final – as it happened
The USMark DeRosa does not deliver. His team barely squeaks by the DR in the semis and then falls short v Team Venezuela, with their team of studs unable to capitalize on Bryce Harper’s dramatic, eighth inning, two-run shot that tied the game. They never really hit in this tournament, despite the laundry list of talent up and down the lineup. Aaron Judge is once agains the poster boy for failing to come up with the big hits in big spots – he was hit-less tonight with three strikeouts. For all of Team USA, heading back to Spring Training, that is one bad way to start a very long season
Venezuela win first World Baseball Classic title after taming USA in politically fraught final
Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night to win their first World Baseball Classic title, a landmark triumph in a politically charged final that resonated far beyond the diamond.Eugenio Suárez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a dramatic victory for the South American side at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.After Daniel Palencia struck out Roman Anthony with a 100mph fastball for the final out, Venezuelan players poured onto the field, many draped in their national flag, celebrating a moment years in the making.“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today,” an elated Suárez said afterwards. “What can I say about this? God is good! Jesus, he was with us the whole time
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