The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is looking into a case where a student outside Kent was hospitalized with meningitis, following the identification of the strain responsible for a recent outbreak. Escape Studios, a school specializing in game development, VFX, and animation in North Greenwich, informed students via email about the hospitalization of a student diagnosed with meningitis over the weekend. The UKHSA is assessing the situation and identifying close contacts for necessary actions. There are now 20 cases related to the Kent outbreak, but it remains uncertain if the hospitalized student is part of this group.

UKHSA will directly contact individuals identified as close contacts for further guidance. A spokesperson for UKHSA and Escape Studios declined to provide comments on the London-related case. The school notified students about contact tracing for antibiotics, without offering additional details on the matter. The recent hospitalization occurred amid the outbreak in Kent, where two individuals have died, including a Year 13 pupil named Juliette from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham.

Juliette was remembered as a ‘true friend’ in tributes, with her family expressing deep devastation over the loss. Another victim of the outbreak, a 21-year-old Kent University student, remains unnamed. The outbreak has led to hospitalizations, with some patients placed in induced comas. UKHSA has reported a total of 15 cases, all requiring hospitalization, with four confirmed as meningitis B infections.

Efforts are underway to address the outbreak, particularly at the University of Kent, where individuals who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on specific dates are urged to seek antibiotics as a precaution. The club estimates over 2,000 attendees during those days. UKHSA has advised 16,000 staff and students at the University of Kent, offering antibiotics to those at risk. The agency noted an increase in cases under investigation, now totaling 20, up from the previous 15.

While there is a meningitis B vaccination introduced in 2015, many young people born before then may not be protected unless they received the vaccine privately.