Deadly Meningitis Outbreak In Kent Being Treated As 'National Incident'

CANTERBURY, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care attends as students receive the Meningitis B vaccine at the University of Kent on March 19, 2026 in Canterbury, England. A deadly meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent In Canterbury is being treated as a "national incident" as the number of confirmed cases rises to 20. A 21-year-old university student and a pupil from a grammar school in Faversham have died while others have been hospitalized in what experts are calling a "super-spreader event," with several cases reportedly linked to a nightclub in Canterbury. A Meningitis B targeted vaccine program is being rolled out for up to 5,000 students at the University of Kent, alongside 2,500 doses of antibiotics that have been administered in an effort to halt the spread of the outbreak. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)