March 19, 2026

The UKHSA said some 15 laboratory cases had been confirmed and 12 notifications remained under investigation, bringing the total to 27. Nine of the 15 confirmed cases are known to be caused by meningitis B (menB), and the death toll remains at two.

Health bosses are also bracing for the potential impact of students travelling home to their families across the UK and abroad for the Easter holidays over the coming days.

The UKHSA said cases have been confirmed in students at four Kent schools – and another at a ‘higher education institution’ in London, directly linked to the outbreak.

An outbreak of meningitis in Kent has rapidly escalated to 27 confirmed cases, including three hospitalized university cheerleaders and one worker at a Morrisons depot, with experts baffled by the swift spread and a death toll of two. The UK Health Security Agency confirmed nine cases of meningitis B and is tracking 12 possible others, as infections have appeared across multiple schools and a London higher education institution. Authorities are on high alert for further transmission as students prepare to travel home for the Easter holidays, raising concerns of wider national and international impact.

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