Following concerns that two Bath students visited the Kent club at the centre of the deadly meningitis outbreak, it has today emerged that they were not there on the three key dates.
Library image
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Director of Public Health and Prevention briefed councillors yesterday on what is being done in B&NES in relation to the outbreak in Kent, saying it was known that at least a couple of students from the city had been at Club Chemistry in Canterbury within the 5th – 7th March timescale.
However, from updated information, the council today confirmed that students from Bath were not there on those dates.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is continuing to investigate the outbreak of meningococcal disease in Kent in which two young people have died. So far nine laboratory cases are confirmed and 11 notifications remain under investigation, bringing the total to 20.
Six of the confirmed cases are confirmed to be group B meningococcal disease.
Updates can be found here.
The University of Bath has shared information to students on its website. Students and staff are urged to remain vigilant to the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, also known as meningococcal disease.
Early symptoms, which may not always be present, include:
- A rash that doesn’t fade when pressed with a glass
- Sudden onset of high fever
- Severe and worsening headache
- Stiff neck
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Joint and muscle pain
- Dislike of bright lights
- Very cold hands and feet
- Seizures
- Confusion/delirium
- Extreme sleepiness/difficulty waking.
The university reminds students to make sure they have been vaccinated against meningitis. The MenACWY vaccine gives protection against four strains – MenA, MenC, MenW, and MenY. It does not protect against MenB, which is why it is so important to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
Routine vaccination against Men B for babies and young children was rolled out in 2015, which means the current cohort of students and those in their late teens are likely to be unvaccinated.
