The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed a meningitis outbreak in Kent with two deaths reported

Health officials have released an urgent update regarding the meningitis outbreak in Kent, deciding to expand a targeted rollout of antibiotics and vaccines. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that the outbreak, which has sadly resulted in two fatalities, involves the MenB strain and is connected to a student nightclub.

Authorities have announced that eligibility for antibiotics, capable of halting the infection, and the MenB vaccine has been broadened in an attempt to control the spread. Updates on the situation are being provided daily.

Nightclub link and urgent antibiotic push

The outbreak has been partially traced back to people who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6 or 7. Anyone who was present – or who has had close contact with a confirmed or suspected case – is strongly encouraged to come forward for preventative antibiotics, which can prevent infection in up to 90% of cases.

Supplies are available at various locations including the University of Kent campus, hospitals and community clinics. Those who have since travelled elsewhere in the UK are being advised to immediately contact their GP to access treatment.

The UKHSA said: “A single course of antibiotics is highly effective in preventing the contraction and spread of this disease in 90% of cases. For MenB, prompt treatment with antibiotics is critical – which is why seeking urgent medical help at the first sign of symptoms is so important.”

Who will get the vaccine

A targeted immunisation programme is currently in progress, initially concentrating on students residing in halls at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus. Health officials have indicated that this could be broadened in the forthcoming days depending on the progression of the outbreak.

Importantly, authorities have emphasised that Brits should not hastily seek to pay privately for the vaccine, as current measures – including antibiotics – are deemed the priority.

The UKHSA, which refuted claims of a vaccine shortage, said: “The vaccination programme may be expanded … and further advice on additional cohorts will be provided in the coming days. There are sufficient MenB vaccine stocks and we are working with local partners to ensure effective distribution to those who need it.”

What is MenB – and why it’s dangerous

Meningococcal disease is rare but extremely serious. It can lead to:

• Meningitis (infection of the brain lining)
• Sepsis (blood poisoning)

The illness can develop rapidly and become life-threatening within hours.

Unlike highly contagious infections such as COVID-19, MenB spreads through close and prolonged contact, such as:

• Living together
• Kissing
• Sharing drinks or vapes

Key symptoms people must not ignore

Officials are urging the public to remain vigilant and act fast if symptoms appear.

Warning signs include:

• A rash that does not fade when pressed
• Sudden high fever
• Severe headache
• Stiff neck
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Sensitivity to light
• Cold hands and feet
• Confusion or extreme drowsiness

Anyone experiencing these symptoms is told to seek urgent medical help by calling 999 or going to A&E immediately.

Risk to public ‘low’ – but vigilance essential

UKHSA said the overall risk to the wider public remains low, with efforts focused on tracing close contacts and preventing further spread. However, the agency stressed that speed is critical, with early treatment often lifesaving.

The MenB vaccine – introduced for babies in 2015 – has already led to a 75% reduction in cases amongst vaccinated groups, although it does not protect against all forms of meningitis.

Where to get help and advice

NHS guidance – here

Meningitis Research Foundation (24/7 helpline): 0808 800 3344

Meningitis Now: 0808 80 10 388

Officials say updates will continue to be published daily as the situation evolves.

How many of us can look our dentist in the eye and promise we’ve flossed daily? It’s always the first thing to drop from my morning routine, and the last thing on my mind before bed. Luckily, my tune has changed since testing some of the best water flossers.

Also known as oral irrigators, water flossers are completely different from the painful, harsh and environmentally unfriendly ways of traditional flossing tape, and they can get into spaces that a toothbrush might miss. “These devices use a steady high-pressure, or pulsating stream of water to target the areas between the teeth near the gum line,” Dr Khurrum Hussain, a dentist and clinical periodontist at Bupa Dental Care explains.

They are more effective than tape for hard-to-reach areas, so they are particularly useful for anyone with braces or dental work like bridges. Meanwhile, using a water flosser to dislodge plaque from the gum line and any food particles can also help to whiten your teeth.

The best water flossers: At a glance

How to use a water flosser

Use a water flosser before brushing your teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste, advises Dr Khurrum Hussain. “This allows debris to be removed from the spaces between the teeth, enabling better fluoride absorption from the toothpaste onto the enamel.”

Always fill the reservoir with water, not mouthwash. Dr Khurrum warns that using mouthwash instead of water can cause staining. He also advises, “If you have sensitive teeth, using lukewarm water can be less triggering.”

In terms of technique, position the end of the tip a few millimetres away from your teeth. “Direct the stream towards the gum, aiming for the spaces between the teeth to remove trapped debris. If you have gaps between your teeth, angle the nozzle towards each tooth,” Dr Khurrum says.

For practicality’s sake, he suggests closing your mouth around the nozzle to prevent splash back. “It typically takes two to four minutes to clean your entire mouth,” he adds.

How I test water flossers

The last 24 hours of eye-wateringly expensive missile duelling over the Persian Gulf has made one point above all.

A prolonged war could do calamitous damage to the global economy.

In just one day and night, Iran has hit energy targets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel. So much for its military being defeated, or its leadership decapitated after almost three weeks of bombardment.

One attack alone, on the Ras Laffan gas plant in Qatar, using just a handful of missiles did an estimated $26bn worth of damage and will, we’re told, take years to repair.

Iran war latest: Trump says he’s not putting troops in Iran

Even less liquid natural gas will now get to market, jacking up prices. The cost of gas for European consumers has already leapt 30%.

Cue a pell-mell chorus of apocalyptic predictions from analysts and economists, and that’s after just 24 hours of escalated energy attacks. Imagine what weeks of the same could do.

I sat down with one of Iran’s most senior diplomats, Esmail Baghaei, in the foreign ministry in Tehran to ask him if this was a new policy of escalation from his government.

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The World show: What’s it’s like in Tehran right now

“You cannot expect a country that is under military aggression to exercise restraint. You have to direct your call to those aggressors, they started this…” he told me.

Oil and gas facilities have been hit before in this war, but the targets struck over the last day or two are of a different order of significance.

The attacks were not unprovoked. Israel had taken its attacks on the Islamic Republic to a new level with airstrikes on Iran’s south Pars gasfield and Iran responded without hesitation.

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Iran war briefing: Day 20 with Tom Cheshire

No wonder Donald Trump issued what looked like a rather panicky post ordering Israel not to attack gas fields again and warning Iran against the same in no uncertain terms.

I asked Mr Baghaei if rising concern globally would provide some opportunity for diplomacy to prevail and for all sides to step back. Is there any kind of olive branch Iran could offer to its enemies?

“Do you think it would be realistic to offer an olive branch to those who want to behead you? They are killing our elites. They are targeting our leaders. We are facing acts of aggression and terrorism and this is unprecedented,” he said.

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Iran war day 20: Videos from the ground

But the US president is also reported to be seriously considering sending in troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz. That would raise the spectre of weeks, if not months, more war.

If Iran can maintain the potency of its missile arsenal that could spell disaster for the Gulf’s precious energy installations with all that means for the global economy.

It would be as wise as a shootout in a warehouse of crystal.

The prices of oil, gas, helium, plastics and fertiliser have been sent soaring already. But we may have seen nothing yet and if the doomsday scenario unfolds as predicted we will all feel the pain.

Two students have died in the outbreak and there are now 27 cases of either confirmed or suspected meningitis, up from 20 on Wednesday.

In this article I will explain what meningitis B meningitis and sepsis is, how it may present and give a round-up of the issues involved with the outbreak amongst young people in Kent so far and how the outbreak is being tackled, writes Dr Wilcock.

null (Image: Dr Jane Wilcock)

As this is a developing outbreak I will follow up with another article. I have taken medical information mainly from NHS England, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NICE NG 240 websites to give best advice.

What is meningococcus B?

Meningococcus B is a bacteria, also called Neisseria meningitidis type B, which can live in the nose and pharynx (the pharynx is the back of the throat) in healthy people and cause no symptoms.

Unfortunately for some people it can cause serious infection, with outcomes being recovery, disability or death.

This is called ‘invasive meningococcal disease’ and may present most commonly in two ways; either as meningitis or as sepsis (also called septicaemia or menigococcaemia).

There are other causes of meningitis and sepsis but the outbreak in Kent at present is due to meningitis type B.

How might it present?

Both illnesses can present suddenly in anyone of any age but are more likely in young children, which is why since 2015 children in their first year of life are vaccinated.

This means that the oldest vaccinated children are not yet teenage.

The person may feel they have some infection, like a flu, occurring.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges.

The meninges are like a plastic wrap round the brain and spinal cord with fluid between the layers to help package the brain against injury and help in blood circulation.

When meningitis occurs the layers are infected, inflamed, with increased fluid which presses upon the brain causing head pain, a dislike of the light and difficulty bending their chin to their chest.

Rather than try to distinguish two illnesses (meningitis and sepsis) from the same bacteria and as both require rapid intervention, it is better to roll them into one condition called invasive meningitis type B. Infected people may have high temperature, shivers (also called rigors), headache, wanting to avoid the light, vomiting, abdominal pains, diarrhoea, painful joints, pale blotchy skin, very cold hands and feet, drowsiness and confusion which can lead to being unconscious.

On examining the person they may not seem their usual alert self, their pulse and temperature may be high and they have a blotchy rash or a rash that is small purple spots under the skin, they do not go on pressing with a glass or see through plastic as they are due to small bleeds from tiny blood vessels under the skin.

Their medical professional may find their pulse weak and their blood pressure low.

Treatment is with antibiotics.

What has happened in Kent?

In Kent a number of young people from local school sixth forms and local universities in Canterbury, Kent have developed invasive meningococcal type B disease.

Some had been to a night club (Club Chemistry) on 5th-7th March.

Awareness of a cluster of cases to UKHSA over the weekend of 14-15th March.

Sadly two young people have died, one a sixth former and one a university student.

The bacteria is transmitted through droplets whilst breathing so increased by coughing, kissing and being in crowded conditions.

However, this outbreak shows much more transmission than expected.

The initial cases (probable and confirmed cases combined) on 16th March was 15, on 17th 20 and 18th 27 cases.

This is a dramatic infection compared to the expected infection rate.

Is it that the bacteria has changed in some way? UKHSA is looking at all factors.

It can take 1-14 days to develop the illness after contact with a spreader, so UKHSA are working to break the transmission by giving people at increased risk a one-off dose of antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) and a vaccination to meningitis B.

This will protect these young people and also reduce the nasal carrying amongst healthy young people who may unknowingly be spreading it.

As these young people will also not be mixing much whilst this outbreak occurs, transmission should slow and stop soon.

Hopefully with the increased awareness youngsters will receive effective early treatment with good outcomes.

A start-up focused on building rare-earth magnets used in key technologies has seen its valuation skyrocket thanks to two investors: the Trump administration and a venture capital firm that counts the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., as a partner.

Vulcan Elements, which aims to shore up U.S. access to key materials for high technology, has gone from a $200 million valuation to a potential $2 billion one, according to a Bloomberg analysis.

Over the summer, 1789 Capital, which Trump Jr. joined shortly after his father was elected, joined a group of investors backing the firm, which hopes to help the U.S. develop mineral-processing capacity that’s largely in the hands of China.

The Trump administration, which watched as rare-earth minerals became a bargaining chip in tariff negotiations with Beijing, soon followed, offering the company a record-breaking $620 million Defense Department loan, as well as $50 million in CHIPS Act incentives, securing the Commerce Department an equity stake in the company.

The investments deepened ties between 1789 and the administration. In 2019, 1789 co-founder Chris Buskirk founded the Rockbridge Network, an influential group of conservative donors, alongside Vice President JD Vance.

1789 told Bloomberg that neither the company nor Trump Jr. was involved in securing the government investment in the firm.

Trump Jr. and his brother Eric, meanwhile, are also backing a drone company angling for military business, as the Pentagon seeks to bulk up drone capabilities in the face of an onslaught of UAV attacks in the Iran war.

The association between the Trump family business and the Trump administration’s investments has provoked scrutiny from Democrats.

In January, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, and Andy Kim asked the Defense Department for information about the deals, writing that they raise the risk “the Trump family is profiting from funds appropriated by Congress to keep Americans safe, raising both ethics and national security concerns.”

The senators said that since Trump Jr. joined the firm, it has reportedly notched more than $70 million in government contracts from the Trump administration for portfolio companies in fields including artificial intelligence, quantum chips, and rocket engines.

Family members have been accused of leveraging their ties to the Trump administration for personal enrichment, especially in the crypto business.

President Trump and current Trump administration Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are among the founders of the crypto business World Liberty Financial, a company that is now overseen by their sons.

Four days before Trump’s inauguration, a firm backed by an Abu Dhabi royal, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed a secret deal to buy nearly half of the company. Another company run by the sheikh later used $2 billion in a World Liberty-issued cryptocurrency to make one of its investments.

As The New York Times reported, at the same time the $2 billion World Liberty deal was being negotiated, the UAE was working to secure an agreement with the Trump administration, announced in November, to access thousands of top-line AI chips.

A Tahnoon lieutenant was reportedly working to get one of the Abu Dhabi executive’s firms the American chips from the U.S. and advising the Trump crypto firm at the same time.

All parties have denied any coordination or wrongdoing, describing the two deals as unrelated.

Family members of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are also under scrutiny for their involvement in Cantor Fitzgerald, the secretary’s former investment company.

The Trump official transferred his stake in the business to his children through a series of trusts, and his sons now manage Cantor Fitzgerald.

In January, the Trump administration announced it had agreed to extend up to $277 million in funding and up to $1.3 billion in loans to USA Rare Earth Inc., a mining and manufacturing company that turned to Cantor Fitzgerald as the lead placement agent for a series of private investments.

Democratic senators are also scrutinizing those deals, writing to Secretary Lutnick last month that it is “imperative that federal investments in critical industries be made free from conflicts of interest and on the merits.”

As Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host turned Donald Trump’s defense secretary, stood on the front lawn of the Pentagon to record a promotional video in July 2025, a drone hovered above him.

Hegseth said that America’s adversaries had “produced millions of cheap drones” and it was time for the US to catch up. The Trump administration, he added, would arm combat units with “a variety of low-cost American-crafted drones” as part of a plan to secure US “drone dominance”.

A few days later, Hegseth toured a display of 18 American-made protype drones. One of those on display was a Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas) drone. By December, a squadron of these kamikaze drones was already in the Middle East.

These Lucas drones may have been made in America, but they are a reverse-engineered copy of the kamikaze Iranian drone called a Shahed. Now, the US military has deployed them to attack Iran.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast,  we speak to Arun Dawson, a PhD researcher at King’s College London, about how the Iranians developed the Shahed drones, why the US decided to copy them, and what role these low-cost drones might play in the future of warfare.

“Each of these drones costs US$35,000 (£26,000),” says Dawson, compared with US$3.6 million for each Tomahawk cruise missile. “With an American style defence budget, you can buy enough of them that you completely saturate the capabilities of an adversary to respond.

“Once you’ve achieved that,” he explains, “you can then send in your high-expense equipment to do the dirty job of delivering pretty large, decisive payloads on particular targets. That’s what the American military is beginning to explore and pivot towards.”

Listen to the interview with Arun Dawson on The Conversation Weekly podcast and read an article he wrote for The Conversation. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newsclips in this episode from The WallStreet Journal, New York Post, 10 News and CBS News.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

It is a shame for Nottingham Forest supporters that they have not been able to fully enjoy the possibilities of a first European campaign in a generation because of an ongoing fight against relegation.

Forest will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Danish club Midtjylland and reach the Europa League quarter-finals, but a pivotal domestic fixture at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday looms.

Forest are above West Ham United and the relegation zone on goal difference, and one point behind Spurs. Vitor Pereira, appointed as Forest’s head coach following Sean Dyche’s departure, played down the possibility of wholesale changes.

He said: “We are in a moment where we need to be united. I cannot have players for one game and other players for another game.

“They worked a lot to be here [in the Europa League]. We need them for tomorrow. We need to see the team united and everyone in condition to help.

“We don’t have a big squad. It means it is important we feel we are together in this game, trying to get the result to qualify. We are committed together.”

Forest relied on Chris Wood’s goals last season but the 34-year-old has been out since October with a knee injury.

He was pictured back in training this week and could make a return sooner rather than later, although tonight’s game will come too soon for him.

The Premier League side had plenty of territory and efforts on goal against Midtjylland at the City Ground Cho Gue-song’s late header.

Midtjylland was formerly owned by Matthew Benham, of Brentford fame, and were used as a guinea pig for the professional gambler’s algorithmic approach to the game before he took the leap of buying Brentford. In keeping with that strategy, the Danish club were also pioneers in maximising set-pieces through their data-led approach.

Full team news on the way shortly.

Officers from Humberside Police will be conducting speed enforcement check along the A163, Main Road, in Foggathorpe.

Twenty vehicles, police have said, exceeded the stretch of road’s 40mph speed limit by 10mph during the week – with further action taken against three drivers.

Recommended reading:

Are you concerned about speeding along a road in your area?

Get in touch by emailing newsdesk@thepress.co.uk.

A force spokesperson said: “The fastest speed monitored was at 58mph in the 40mph zone.

“Others within the threshold were stopped and advice given regarding their speed, however were not suitable for further enforcement action to be taken.

“If you witness any offences caught on camera/dash cam, these can be reported under Operation Snap, which is a Humberside Police initiative to address road safety.

“Video evidence can be submitted online, via this link which is assessed by Roads Policing Officers and dealt with accordingly.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi insisted that she and Donald Trump were “best buddies,” hours after the president made a poor taste joke about the historic attack on Pearl Harbor.

“A stronger Japan and a stronger America, a more prosperous Japan and a more prosperous America. I am very confident that Donald and I are the best buddies to realize this shared goal,” Takaichi said Thursday evening, speaking via a translator before a dinner event at the White House.

The prime minister went on to praise Trump further and even wish his youngest son, Barron Trump, a preemptive “happy birthday” ahead of his 20th birthday on Friday.

It appeared that the awkwardness of the earlier exchange had disappeared.

While answering questions from reporters in the Oval Office, the president was asked by a Japanese reporter why he had not warned U.S. allies, including Japan, about the Iran airstrike campaign, which began on February 28.

Trump replied that he had wanted the strikes to be a “surprise,” before adding, “Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” – in reference to the devastating attack on December 7, 1941, in which Japanese troops bombed the U.S. military base on Oahu, in Hawaii.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?” he said, at which point the scattered laughter died down and the room went silent. Takaichi’s facial expression went from smiling to wide-eyed.

Social media users blasted the exchange, with one writing: “Audible groans in the room.”

“The way the Prime Minister of Japan looks like a hostage scanning the room for an exit to escape from this madman,” wrote another, with a third adding that Takaichi’s “soul has left her body.”

“Oh my lord she is mortified,” wrote one user, with a Japanese social media handle adding: “To put it mildly, I think our country is being mocked, looked down upon, and made a fool of.”

The surprise Pearl Harbor airstrike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet left more than 2,400 American service members dead and nearly 1,200 injured from bombs and shells that sank four American battleships and left four more severely damaged.

It was the deadliest attack on American soil until the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Takaichi is fresh off a dominant victory in the Japanese elections last month and vowed, before her departure to the U.S., to “do everything to maximize [Japan’s] national interest” even as the volatile situation in the Middle East continues to escalate.

In a joint statement shared Thursday by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, Japan conveyed its “readiness to contribute appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed off by Iran as a result of the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign.

At Thursday’s Oval Office meeting, Takaichi said the closing of the Strait had resulted in a “very severe security environment,” which was a “huge hit” to the global economy. However, she backed Trump’s ability to resolve it.

“I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world,” she said. “I am ready to reach out to many of the partners in the international community to achieve our objective together.”

Ellis Matthews, 35, from Lancashire shot to fame after openly discussing on social media how her £2,300-a-month lifestyle was subsidised by British taxpayers’ money while living in Thailand before being jailed for 26 months for drugs offences

A notorious TikTok star from Lancashire, who boasted about living off UK benefits whilst residing in Thailand, has been imprisoned upon her return to the UK.

Ellis Matthews gained notoriety after candidly discussing on social media how her £2,300 per-month lifestyle was funded by British taxpayers‘ money, even providing tips on how to exploit the system. The 35 year old claimed that she was living on Disability Living Allowance during her four years overseas, having informed the DWP she suffered from six mental disorders.

However, in March 2025 her dream life abruptly ended when she and her son were arrested for overstaying her visa and confined in the Mothers and Children Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok, a “hell hole prison” she described as overrun with rats and cockroaches. She was incarcerated for over three months before finally being deported without her son last year.

Within weeks of returning to Lancashire, Matthews was apprehended on suspicion of drug offences. She appeared for sentencing at Preston Crown Court Sessions House last Friday (March 13) after previously pleading guilty to possession of class A and B drugs, supplying class A and B drugs and involvement in the supply of class A and B drugs.

She received a total sentence of 26 months. Recorder Fiona Clancy informed Matthews that the 108 days already spent in detention in Thailand would be deducted from her sentence in HMP Styal, reports Lancs Live.

Matthews, who previously appeared on the reality show Judge Rinder and claimed to have frittered away a £6 million fortune, amassed over 16,500 followers on TikTok under the username ‘@mumontheruninasia’. She was apprehended following a police raid on her residence in Pattaya.

Despite the dreadful circumstances, Ellie declined to buy a flight back to the UK due to fears that social services would take Cairo into their custody. Upon her return, she disclosed that she had left her four year old with a relative in Thailand whilst she stayed with friends – and hit back at those criticising her lifestyle.

She confessed to MailOnline: “Leaving Cairo behind was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I had no choice because I’m the victim of an online hate campaign that is making me out to be a bad mother.

“I would never allow him to be passed around suffering in UK care. He has the right to a safe childhood.”

Ellis also maintained that the videos she posted about receiving benefits were “just a joke”, and that she never received a “single penny” of taxpayer’s money whilst residing in Thailand. “I was just lying in my videos to get more followers and make some money from my TikTok account”, she stated.