EU agency says meningitis risk ‘low’ after UK outbreak

A meningitis outbreak linked to a university nightclub in southeast England has left two dead and dozens infected, triggering alarm in the UK – though EU health authorities say the wider risk remains “very low”.

Two people have died since the outbreak first came to light at the weekend.

The outbreak has been linked to an event at a Canterbury nightclub between 5 and 7 March, prompting hundreds of students to seek urgent medical advice.

Long queues formed on the University of Kent’s campus as more than 200 students waited for vaccination against meningitis B – a rarer and more severe bacterial strain.

“It’s quite a concerning thing. It all happened so fast,” said Jack Jordan, a 19-year-old student at the university where the first case was reported on Friday.

Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection that attacks the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Early symptoms – including headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck – can be vague,…