News & Announcements
Meningitis outbreak in Kent
Last updated: Tuesday 24 March, 5pm
All updates related to the meningitis outbreak will be published on this webpage. Please check back for the latest information.
- Tuesday 24 March, 5pm
- Friday 20 March, 6pm
- Friday 20 March, 1pm
- Thursday 19 March, 6pm
- Wednesday 18 March, 6pm
- Tuesday 17 March, 6pm
- Tuesday 17 March, 10am
- Monday 16 March, 6pm
- Monday 16 March, 10am
Tuesday 24 March, 5pm
You may be aware, in the last 24 hours, according to UKHSA, the peak of the meningitis outbreak in Kent has passed. As a precautionary measure to ensure longer-term protection, UKHSA has also today confirmed vaccinations will be extended to Year 11 pupils at four schools in Kent where older students have already received them.
We are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open in line with UKHSA guidance.
The targeted antibiotics and vaccination programme introduced in direct response to the outbreak is ongoing. Please refer to the last update for the UCA students and staff eligible for both the preventative antibiotics and the vaccine.
A significant number of people have now been vaccinated and as a result fewer clinics are available - please refer to this NHS webpage, which is being updated regularly with clinic details.
We encourage everyone eligible to take the preventative antibiotics and get the vaccine, to ensure you and our community continue to be protected.
Friday 20 March, 6pm
This is just a brief update to remind those UCA students and staff eligible for both the preventative antibiotics and the vaccine to attend clinics early.
Clinics are operating throughout the day but, if you are eligible, please attend before noon – this allows clinic staff to manage the queues and make sure they can vaccinate as many people as possible safely.
We have also been advised that the NHS Kent and Medway’s Facebook page is a useful source of timely updates.
As we have been doing, we will continue to update via email, the Student Portal and news page on our website.
Friday 20 March, 1pm
A reminder that the targeted antibiotics and vaccination programme introduced in direct response to the outbreak has been widened and because of our continued liaison with all the appropriate governing bodies, including UKHSA, the following UCA students and staff are eligible for both the preventative antibiotics and the vaccine:
- Anyone who attended Club Chemistry from 5 March, now to 15 March
- Anyone who lives in shared accommodation on the University of Kent campus
- Anyone who has been in close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease
For where to receive the above, please refer to this NHS webpage, which is being updated regularly with clinic details.
We encourage everyone eligible to take the preventative antibiotics and get the vaccine, to ensure you and our community continue to be protected.
We are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open in line with UKHSA guidance.
The nature of this strain of meningitis means that it is transmitted differently from other public health issues many people are familiar with, such as coronavirus. The meningococcal disease does not spread easily, so the risk of transmission for most people is very low and it is unlikely to be transmitted in a classroom environment.
Our Canterbury campus will be open next week for teaching; however, we will continue with the precautionary measure of cancelling events planned there next week. If you are running or hosting an event, you will be made aware of this.
We continue to liaise with all the appropriate governing bodies to ensure we are providing you with the key information. As we have been doing, we will continue to update via email and the Student Portal and have also created a news page on our website for any parents and guardians to access the same information.
Thank you again for your cooperation in helping keep our community safe.
Thursday 19 March, 6pm
You may be aware the targeted antibiotics and vaccination programme introduced in direct response to the outbreak has today been widened.
Because of our continued liaison with all the appropriate governing bodies, including UKHSA, we can confirm the following UCA students and staff are eligible for both the preventative antibiotics and the vaccine:
- Anyone who attended Club Chemistry from 5 March, now to 15 March
- Anyone who lives in shared accommodation on the University of Kent campus
- Anyone who has been in close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with meningococcal disease
You can attend any of the clinics/sites to receive the above, with more sites likely to be announced.
We encourage everyone eligible to take the preventative antibiotics and get the vaccine. We also strongly advise attending the clinics/sites early from tomorrow morning.
This will ensure you and our community continue to be protected.
Thank you.
Wednesday 18 March, 6pm
Following our continued meetings today with all the relevant parties, we can advise a targeted vaccination programme is being introduced in direct response to this outbreak.
Vaccination has begun with students living in Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence at the University of Kent.
The vaccination programme may be expanded as UKHSA continues to assess the risk to other groups, and further advice on additional cohorts will be provided in the coming days. There are sufficient MenB vaccine stocks and UKHSA is working with local partners to ensure effective distribution to those who need it.
It’s important to note, we are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open in line with UKHSA guidance.
We want to remind everyone again that the nature of this strain of meningitis means that it is transmitted differently from other public health issues many people are familiar with, such as coronavirus. The meningococcal disease does not spread easily, so the risk of transmission for most people is very low and it is unlikely to be transmitted in a classroom environment.
We continue to liaise with all of the appropriate governing bodies to ensure we are providing you with all the key information and as we have been doing, we will continue to update via email and the Student Portal.
Tuesday 17 March, 6pm
We are continuing to meet with relevant parties (such as UKHSA and our counterparts at University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, as well as Universities UK and the Department of Education) to ensure we are up to date with guidance on how best to keep you, our students, and wider community safe during the meningitis outbreak in Kent.
There is currently no cemented plan regarding vaccinations, but we will update you as and when we have more information.
A reminder that UKHSA advises that the nature of this strain of meningitis means that it is transmitted differently from other public health issues many people are familiar with, such as coronavirus. The meningococcal disease does not spread easily, so the risk of transmission for most people is very low and it is unlikely to be transmitted in a classroom environment.
We are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open in line with UKHSA guidance.
However, we continue to support students who would prefer not to come onto the Canterbury campus at this time. Any notified absences this week (w/c 16 March) will be recorded as Authorised Absence and will not affect your attendance record.
As we have been doing, we will continue to keep you up to date on the situation via email and we will also update the Student Portal.
Thank you.
Tuesday 17 March, 10am
Following yesterday, this morning we can provide more updates regards the meningitis outbreak in Kent and steps we are taking as a University.
Overnight, information has been published regards precautionary antibiotics for key groups.
The groups who can obtain antibiotics now importantly include:
- Anyone who visited Club Chemistry on 5, 6 and/or 7 March 2026 including Club Chemistry staff
- Close household contacts of cases who have been identified by UKHSA or who self-identify as having contact with a confirmed case
- As well as all students and staff living on campus at University of Kent
Temporary antibiotic clinics
- Senate Building, University of Kent, CT2 7NZ: Daily from 9am to 8pm
- Gate Clinic, Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury CT1 3NG: Daily from 8.30am
- Thanet Community Health Hub, Northwood Road, Broadstairs, CT10 2WA: Daily from 8.30am to 8pm (last patient 7.30pm)
- Westgate Hall, Westgate Hall Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2BT: Daily from 8.30am to 7.30pm
- Vicarage Lane Clinic, Ashford, TN23 1NJ: Wednesday 18 March, 9am-4pm and Thursday 19 March, 8.30am-7.30pm
- James Williams Healthy Living Centre, Pentagon Centre, Military Road, Chatham, ME4 4HY: Thursday 19, Friday 20, Saturday, 21 March, 8.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday, 22 March: 10.30am to 2.30pm
UKHSA advises that the nature of this strain of meningitis means that it is transmitted differently from other public health issues many people are familiar with, such as coronavirus. The meningococcal disease does not spread easily, so the risk of transmission for most people is very low. People outside of the groups above are not advised to receive antibiotics unless they are experiencing symptoms.
We continue to encourage everyone to remain aware of the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, and to seek medical advice if you become unwell.
We are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open.
However, as a precautionary measure we have taken the decision to cancel events planned there this week. If you are running or hosting an event, you should have already been made aware of this.
We will continue to keep you up to date on the situation via email and we will also update the Student Portal.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in helping keep our community safe at this time.
Monday 16 March, 6pm
Following on from the below, you will be aware that there has been a meningitis outbreak in Kent, which has affected students at University of Kent.
We are continuing to speak with the University and neighbouring Canterbury Christ Church University to keep up to date with developments.
At this stage, we are still not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open.
We are also in contact with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Anyone who has been in contact with anyone affected by the outbreak, should be contacted by UKHSA with regards to accessing antibiotics. If anyone has been contacted by UKHSA about the situation, please also let us know immediately by emailing healthandsafety@uca.ac.uk.
UKHSA has advised us, in addition to other local universities and schools, that there is no need to close. Unless we hear otherwise, we will not close the Canterbury campus or cancel any events planned there this week. If you are running or hosting an event, we ask that you please inform all invited and booked guests regarding the meningitis outbreak. Text to communicate this has been drafted and can be requested from internalcomms@uca.ac.uk for use.
Anyone who wishes to wear a mask is welcome to do so.
At this stage of the day, it’s also important to remember, for out of hours support at our Canterbury campus, please contact Security on 07795 668176.
24/7 in the moment, confidential support is available for any concerns at uca.spectrum.life - use the code UCAWell to register, or call their freephone telephone helpline on 0800 031 8227. Find out more about our online wellbeing tools.
We will continue to keep you up to date on the situation via email and we will also update the Student Portal.
Thank you
Monday 16 March, 10am
You may be aware that there has been a meningitis outbreak in Kent, which has affected students at University of Kent.
As our neighbouring University in Kent, we are speaking with them and have contacted UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) so we can keep you up to date on the situation.
At this stage, we are not aware of any cases at UCA and our Canterbury campus in Kent remains open.
If anyone has been contacted by UKHSA about the situation, please let us know immediately by emailing healthandsafety@uca.ac.uk.
It is important to be aware and remain vigilant for symptoms of meningitis and to take appropriate precautions. Early recognition and prompt medical attention are extremely important.
Meningitis is an infection that affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can develop quickly and may become serious if not treated promptly.
Signs of meningitis include:
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck
- Dislike of bright light
- Confusion and/or irritability
- Rapid breathing
- Seizures/fits
- Vomiting/diarrhoea
- Stomach cramps
- High temperature
- Rash/bruising rash
- Drowsy or difficult to wake
- Pale blotchy skin
- Cold hands and feet
- Joint of muscle pain
If you or someone you know develops symptoms that could indicate meningitis, please seek medical advice immediately by contacting your GP or going to A&E.
We ask all staff and students to remain attentive to their health and to look out for one another. If you feel unwell or notice concerning symptoms, please do not attend University and seek medical guidance.
We will continue to keep you up to date on the situation via email and we will also update this page on the Student Portal.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our community safe.