The UK Government is to start a targeted vaccination program for students at Kent university ‘in the coming days’ in response to an ongoing meningitis outbreak.
Health secretary Wes Streeting today announced the measure after two people died following the outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease in Canterbury and East Kent.
Coincidentally, last year, schools were locked down in secret pandemic drills known as Exercise PEGASUS, The drill was the largest simulation of a pandemic in UK history.
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The government appear to have been well prepared….
Pulse Today reports: The strain has today been confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency as Meningitis B, meaning most university-aged people would not have had a vaccine.
Mr Streeting also said he would ask the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to ‘re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines’ more widely following this outbreak.
Vaccines are available to prevent some types of meningitis, including against Meningococcal group B (MenB) for babies, and the MenACWY vaccine for protection against MenA, MenC, MenW, and MenY offered to teenagers in school Years 9 and 10.
The vaccine for MenB – which the UKHSA says can circulate in young adults – was only introduced for babies at two months, three months and 12 months in 2015.
In a statement today, the health secretary said: ‘Given the severity of the situation, I can confirm to the House that we will begin a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury, which will begin in the coming days.
‘UKHSA will provide further advice on other cohorts in the coming days. On the question of wider eligibility, we obviously follow the expert independent advice of the JCVI.
‘In light of this latest outbreak, I will be asking them to reexamine eligibility for meningitis vaccines. I will do so without prejudicing their decision because we have to follow the clinical advice on this.’
