Number of meningitis cases in 'explosive' Kent outbreak rises to 20 as private supplies of MenB vaccine 'run out'

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Five more cases were identified overnight, with the UK Health Security Agency confirming the spread has now been declared a national incident.

It comes as around 5,000 students in Kent university halls are set to be offered the meningitis B vaccine.

GPs across the country will be advised to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5-7, the UKHSA confirmed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday it was revealed that nine-month-old baby girl from Folkestone was being treated for meningitis at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London after contracting the deadly illness.

Nala-Rose Fletcher's condition is understood to be stable, and she is vaccinated against the virus, with the strain contracted currently unknown.

Nala's case comes as the UK's battles its worst meningitis outbreak in a generation, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting branding the spread "unprecedented".

Two people have been confirmed dead from the disease, with 20 cases of meningitis B currently identified in total.

Read More: Pharmacies experiencing surge in bookings for meningitis vaccines amid fatal outbreak

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Leeds pharmacist Ashley Choen, who sits on the National Pharmacy Association’s board, told LBC News of struggling to get hold of supplies of the vaccine.

“I can't get hold of any at all for love nor money. I've had more inquiries in 24 hours for meningitis B than I've had in the last 10 years in my pharmacy. That is the volume of calls, messages, emails that I'm getting at the moment.

"I think what the Government are doing at the moment is they're trying to quarantine supplies and stocks from manufacturers to make sure that it's pivoted and it's prioritised to the Kent area, because I think what they're looking to do is roll out a localised vaccination programme within that area at the moment.

"So I can't order any stock. But what my advice to the people I'm calling on at the moment is we will get stock back again in the next few weeks or months once this acute phase is over. Please be calm, please be patient."

The UKHSA confirmed that as of 5pm on Tuesday, some 20 cases of meningitis had been reported to it, up from 15 earlier in the day.

Of these, nine cases have been confirmed in the lab and 11 remain under investigation. Six of the confirmed cases have been confirmed as the meningitis B strain.

A statement said: “All those affected who are currently linked to the outbreak are young adults. UKHSA is aware of a baby with confirmed meningococcal group B infection who is not currently linked to the outbreak but UKHSA will continue to investigate this case.”

Trish Mannes, UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: “Around 2,500 doses of antibiotics have now been administered across sites in Kent and we continue to encourage close contacts to come forward for the treatment.

"As a further precaution and together with the NHS, we are beginning to roll out a targeted menB vaccination programme. This will initially be offered to 5,000 university of Kent students resident at the Canterbury campus, with the possibility that it may be extended, as it is kept under continual review."

One of the victims, nine-month-old Nala-Rose, fell unwell on March 4 - days before a cluster of cases emerged in nearby Canterbury, which has been attributed to a "superspreader" event at Chemistry nightclub.

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Health officials fear that the death toll could still be set to rise amid an 'explosive' rise in cases.

After it was confirmed that the outbreak had spread to London and France, officials are braced for the death toll to rise.

About one-in-ten patients with meningitis B, the strain at the centre of the outbreak, die.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that a baby is among those fighting for life after contracting the deadly disease.

As a result of the growing concern over the spread of the disease, a national incident was declared on Tuesday by the UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief executive of the UKHSA, warned that the "explosive" rise in cases has the hallmarks of a so-called "superspreader" event linked to Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury.

Dr Hopkins said: "This looks like a super-spreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residents in the universities.

"There will have been some parties, particularly around this, so there will have been lots of social mixing.

"I can't yet say where the initial infection came from, how it's got into this cohort, and why it's created such an explosive amount of infections.

"I can say that in my 35 years working in medicine, in healthcare and hospitals, this is the most cases I've seen in a single weekend with this type of infection."

Speaking on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting attributed the cases to prolonged kissing and sharing of vapes in nightclubs frequented by university students.

On Monday, A-level student Juliette, whose parents requested that her surname not be reported, was confirmed to be one of those who died.

The 18-year-old pupil at a Faversham grammar school was described as "happy and caring" by her bereaved parents.

A 21-year-old student from the University of Kent was also killed by the disease but has not yet been publicly identified.

A number of those who have fallen ill have been placed into medically induced comas, LBC understands.

Dr Hopkins added: "It's the explosive nature that is unprecedented here. The number of cases in such a short space of time.

"NHS were initially managing it as a major incident in the region but they have now increased that overlay to having a national-level oversight as well."

Amid panic over the disease, pharmacies are experiencing a surge in bookings for meningitis vaccines as people try to get jabs privately.

Superdrug told the Press Association bookings for its service are 65 times higher than a week ago.

Health experts warned of "unequal access" to protection based on the ability to pay.

In the coming days, officials will launch a small vaccination programme for students who live at Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence at the University of Kent.

A jab for menB was introduced for babies as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme in 2015. But the majority of young people born before 2015 are not protected, unless they have had the jab privately.

A number of pharmacies offer the menB vaccine, including Superdrug, where it is available for children from the age of two months and adults aged up to 50.

A course of two to three doses is recommended, priced at £110 per dose.