By Muvija M
LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) – A British health official said on Thursday it was too soon to declare that a meningitis outbreak in southeast England has been contained, as authorities reported seven new cases of the disease that has killed two people so far.
The UK Health Security Agency said the total number of confirmed cases had risen to 27, affecting students at four schools in the county of Kent as well as one student in London.
“We are not in the position yet to say definitively that it’s been contained,” Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health at Kent County Council, told BBC Radio, adding that secondary transmissions needed to be ruled out.
Health minister Wes Streeting, who has called the spread unprecedented, said the government was expanding its vaccination programme to more students while considering whether to broaden the general vaccination campaign.
He also said the number of suspected cases was expected to increase in the coming days because the disease had a seven- to 10-day incubation period.
In a typical year, Britain sees about 350 cases, roughly one per day, according to government estimates.
A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in the town of Faversham have died in the current outbreak.
Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia can include fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting, and cold hands and feet. Septicaemia can also cause a rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass.
Young people attending university or college are particularly at risk because they mix with other students.
Britain’s largest pharmacy chain Boots said it was experiencing “unprecedented demand” for the meningitis B vaccine, resulting in limited supplies across Britain.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said the risk of invasive meningococcal disease to the general population in Europe is “very low”.
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Catarina Demony and Gareth Jones)
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