Image source, PA MediaImage caption, At least 1,600 jabs had been administered as of Thursday evening, NHS England saidBySimon Jones, Reporting fromat the University of Kent and Joshua Askew, South EastPublished19 March 2026 A meningitis vaccination programme has been expanded following a deadly outbreak in Kent – with university students queuing for hours for jabs. Previously, only University of Kent students living in halls had been offered the meningitis B (MenB) vaccine but it is now being offered to anyone who attended the nightclub where the outbreak is thought to have originated. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said anyone who went to Club Chemistry in Canterbury between 5 and 15 March was eligible. With confirmed and suspected cases now at 27, sixth form students in Kent where confirmed or probable cases have been identified are also eligible, along with anyone who has been offered preventative antibiotic treatment by the UKHSA. A 21-year-old University of Kent student and an 18-year-old sixth former have both died from the illness.
Published: March 19, 2026 5:32 pm
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