Meningitis B vaccine scheme widened to include some year 11 pupils in Kent
The meningitis B vaccination programme will be expanded to include year 11 pupils at schools affected by the outbreak in Kent, health officials have said.Figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show the number of cases of meningitis have fallen from 29 on Sunday, when 20 cases were confirmed and a further nine were under investigation, to 20 confirmed cases with a further three under investigation, as of 12.30pm on Monday.Officials started vaccinating University of Kent students on Wednesday 18 March.The following day, on a visit to the campus, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said the programme would be expanded to more people, including sixth form pupils at four schools with known or suspected cases of MenB.
The UKHSA has now confirmed ministers have agreed to offer jabs to year 11 pupils at these schools.Officials said widening the programme was a precaution to ensure long-term protection.The Guardian understands that to date more than 13,000 antibiotic doses and more than 10,000 vaccine doses have been administered in response to the outbreak.The news comes as UKHSA published a technical report that includes a preliminary analysis of the outbreak.This reveals that the earliest known case in the outbreak fell ill on 9 March, with the most recent becoming unwell on 16 March.
The peak of the outbreak, with the largest number of cases reporting onset of illness on a single day, was 13 March, the report notes.All the cases were admitted to hospital, with nine known to have been taken to intensive care.The two students who have died are 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who was described by her family as “fit, healthy and strong” before her death, and a University of Kent student.The report reveals the median age of cases in the outbreak to be 19 and 18 of the 23 cases are known to be students.“So far, the majority of outbreak cases have been found to have an epidemiological link with a club in Canterbury,” the report adds, noting 20 of the 23 people are known to have attended Club Chemistry at least once before they became unwell.
Experts have stressed it is not unexpected to see an outbreak in young adults and the report notes the risk of meningococcal disease is estimated to be 11 times higher among university students than non-students of the same age,However, the report confirms the Kent outbreak is of an unusual size and pace,This, it adds, is probably owing to a combination of three factors: the nature of the bacterial strain involved, levels of population immunity, and social and environmental factors,The Guardian understands that, for one of the cases, the whole genome of the bacteria involved has been sequenced,The results reveal the strain behind the Kent outbreak belongs to a group of bacteria known as group B meningococci, but is a new variant of a subtype that has been present in England since 2020.
UKHSA added this strain responds to antibiotics and MenB vaccines.Work is under way to explore whether the multiple genetic differences in the outbreak strain could affect its biology, for example by increasing its transmissibility or potential to cause disease.The Guardian understands experts are also looking at viruses that might have been co-circulating in the young people affected.This is because viral infections that damage the lining of the nose and throat can make it easier for bacteria to break through and enter the bloodstream leading to meningococcal disease.In addition, the report notes studies are being carried out to assess susceptibility to the MenB outbreak strain, with the initial work focused on young people between the ages of 15 and 22.
The report adds that the level of transmission is now deemed to be at level 1.1 – this means there is a known cluster with a small number of directly linked cases.All of these infections were acquired in Kent.However, the report adds that it is highly likely that in the next four weeks there may be cases where infections are acquired outside Kent.Dr Merav Kliner, an incident director at UKHSA, said that whileantibiotics and vaccinations had been offered to contacts of cases who could be at increased risk of infection, contacts should be vigilant for symptoms.
“A reminder that we also see more than 350 cases of meningococcal infection across the country each year, which is why it is important that everyone remains aware of the signs and symptoms of the infection and seeks rapid medical attention if they are concerned,” she added.
Divide between Silicon Valley and ordinary people grows ever larger
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery. This week in tech, we discuss a moment of divergence between Silicon Valley and everyday people; deep cuts at Meta to maximize spending on AI; writers caught using AI; and the frightening, fiery crashes of the Tesla Cybertruck.Nvidia hosted a conference last week where it emphasized AI agents – semi-autonomous chatbots that can perform digital tasks for you – as the next frontier in tech. The company announced a toolkit for agents, including NemoClaw, an AI agent software suite for businesses
Amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse material found online surged in 2025
The amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse material found online rose by 14% last year, with the majority of videos showing the most extreme type of content, according to a safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation said it identified 8,029 AI-made images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in 2025. It added that there had been a more than 260-fold increase in videos.The IWF said 65% of the 3,443 videos were classified as category A, the term for the most severe material under UK law. The corresponding figure for non-AI videos was 43%, said the watchdog, showing that the technology was being used to create more violent content
MPs urge UK government to halt contract giving Palantir FCA data access
MPs have urged the government to halt its latest contract with Palantir after the Guardian revealed that the US spy-tech company is to gain access to a trove of highly sensitive UK financial regulation data.The Financial Conduct Authority, the watchdog for thousands of financial bodies from banks to hedge funds, has hired Palantir to apply its AI systems to two years’ worth of internal intelligence data to help it tackle financial crime.But the Liberal Democrats on Monday called for a government investigation into the contract, which the party said could be “a huge error of judgment”, while the Green party said it should be blocked over Palantir’s links to Donald Trump.Questioned on whether the UK was becoming “dangerously overreliant” on US tech companies including Palantir, Keir Starmer told parliament he would prefer to have more domestic capability but added: “I don’t think we’re overreliant.”Palantir was founded by the Trump-backing billionaire Peter Thiel and it supports the US and Israeli militaries and the ICE immigration crackdown
AI boom risks widening wealth divide, says BlackRock’s Larry Fink
The boom in artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, with only a handful of companies and investors likely to reap its financial rewards, the BlackRock chief executive, Larry Fink, has said.The boss of the $14tn (£10.4tn) asset manager used his annual letter to investors on Monday to highlight potential hazards around the exponential growth in AI, which has attracted rapid investment and become, he said, “central to strategic competition” between global powers such as the US and China.“The massive wealth created over the past several generations flowed mostly to people who already owned financial assets,” Fink said. “And now AI threatens to repeat that pattern at an even larger scale
Leonid Radvinsky, owner of OnlyFans, dies aged 43
Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of OnlyFans, has died of cancer at the age of 43, the company announced on Monday.“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer,” said a spokesperson for the company, best known for subscriptions to pornographic content creators. “His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.”Radvinsky, a Ukrainian-American billionaire with a net worth of about $3
‘Kids say they take a quick look at TikTok’: a new kind of distracted driving is on the rise
As watching videos, using touchscreens, and even livestreaming behind the wheel become more common, experts warn of increased risk of crashes Jackie was on her way to a doctor’s appointment last fall when she realized her Uber driver’s eyes were not fully on the road. “He had a video playing on his phone and was intermittently looking at it,” she said. Jackie, who is 32 and lives in New Jersey, could not tell exactly what the driver was watching, but she remembers seeing shots of people talking – she guessed it was a video podcast. “I was definitely feeling a lot of dread and distress.”As they continued on their 40-minute drive down the New Jersey Turnpike – a hectic highway that is not easy driving – Jackie considered saying something
UK inflation steady before Iran war; oil price dips on Trump comments – business live
UK inflation held at 3% before global energy price hit from Iran war
Meta ordered to pay $375m after being found liable in child exploitation case
OpenAI shutters AI video generator Sora in abrupt announcement
Radical swim training approach pays off for Cameron McEvoy with ‘really special’ record
Coco Gauff battles impostor syndrome on way into Miami Open semi-finals