Meningitis outbreak in England: cause for concern?
Two young adults have died in a meningitis outbreak in the county of Kent in southern England, while others are being treated in hospital. According to the health authorities, 15 cases of infection have been confirmed so far, with many of those infected reportedly having contracted the disease at a nightclub in the city of Canterbury. Hundreds of people are now being treated with antibiotics as a precautionary measure.
Stark reminder of need to invest in public health
The lack of vaccination coverage among young people for meningitis B is now taking its toll, writes The Guardian:
“The major concern is that there's a large percentage of the population, including university students, without any vaccination protection against it. ... It's just another example of why we need investment in public health. The entire field has been in decline since Covid and the start of the second Trump presidency, and a stark reminder that when public health works, it's invisible. We don't see the outbreaks that haven't happened. It's also a reminder of the power of vaccines and why building up immunity in the population through routine vaccination programmes is so important.”
Raise awareness instead of provoking panic
The facts must be put on the table, The Spectator demands:
“By the time our children reach adolescence, meningitis - which we were all terrified of when they were babies - has slipped down our worry lists; it's way below drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, rape, accidents and murder. It's this - and the devastating speed with which the infection takes hold - that makes it so deadly. ... A balance needs to be sought between awareness and provoking unnecessary fear, but health education has suffered in Britain because of finite resources. ... Meningitis is a cruel, and devastating illness that takes hold with devastating speed. If any good can come from the horror of this deadly outbreak, it's that greater awareness of this illness might save lives in the future.”
Very different to Covid
Although meningitis is a terrible disease, the outbreak in Canterbury is not the start of a new pandemic, The Daily Telegraph is convinced:
“Meningitis B has the opposite profile to Covid. It is vastly rarer, and much slower to spread, but it attacks children and young people more than the old. Nine out of 10 cases cases affect children under five, with a second peak occurring among those aged around 16-23. It is also a much more dangerous disease, with a mortality rate of one in 10. A further 25 per cent of those who survive are left with life-altering complications, such as brain damage, blindness or limb amputation. The Kent outbreak of meningitis B - although unusually virulent - is small and contained enough that there really is no need for panic.”