Pupil in coma as Kent colleges verify meningitis as outbreak ‘began at Fresher’s occasion’

Students have been queuing on the University of Kent campus in Canterbury to collect antibiotics today (March 16) as several UK schools have confirmed pupils are ill following a meningitis outbreak.

It comes after a a school pupil and a University of Kent student died following the outbreak in the area. The student, publicly named only as Juliette, was in Year 13 at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham and is understood to have died on Saturday (March 14).

Now other schools in the area have confirmed cases with one pupil reportedly now in a coma.

The sixth form at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury has announced it has closed to Year 13 pupils following the meningitis outbreak, the Mirror has been told.

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The mum of a 17-year-old sixth-form pupil at the school told Sky News this morning that her son’s friend “has contracted meningitis and was admitted to hospital at the weekend.”

She added: “He is in an induced coma and I don’t know how he is.”

A letter was also sent to parents at The Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, Kent, to confirm a year 13 student is in hospital with “a suspected case” of meningitis.

The letter said: “We are writing to inform you that a student in Year 13 has been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of meningitis.

“At this stage we have no confirmed diagnosis, but we are taking precautionary steps in line with public health guidance.

“We understand that news like this can be worrying. Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff and to keep you fully informed.”

According to a University of Kent student, the outbreak is suspected to have spread following a recent Freshers event.

Thomas Ibbotson, a third year studying Business and Spanish, claims students have been told that the outbreak started at a Fresher’s event that was also attended by sixth formers from local schools.

Thomas said: “I got told the people most exposed are freshers who were out on this night out. They started at a house party and then went on to Club Chemistry later in the evening. In all of the emails to us, the University has been saying that if you had been to Club Chemistry on Friday or Saturday, that is where you would be most at risk.

“The freshers then came back into the accommodation where it has spread. I’m not in the block that has been affected, but I live around Tyler Court where there has been a case in one block so it’s very worrying.

“I’m going home so I want to be extra safe and I’d rather get the antibiotics, that’s why I’m queueing up here. But I really don’t know if the university is doing this in the most efficient way, given the queue time is 40 minutes right now. They put a letter underneath our flat door saying if you spend time in the affected areas or had friends who lived in the affected blocks, you would need to come to the Senate to pick up antibiotics.”

A local nightclub, believed to be Chemistry, has said it has been contacted by officials to try and trace people who may be affected.

Amelia McIlroy, headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, has now paid tribute to Juliette following her tragic passing.

She said: “It is with great sadness that we are confirming the loss of Juliette, a much loved and treasured member of our school community. Juliette was a student at our school for seven years. She was incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent and she loved our school and was very happy here.

“Juliette embraced everything that school had to offer with great enthusiasm and joy and her humour and positivity were captivating. She was a genuinely caring and attentive listener, a true friend – who listened with warmth, respect and sincere interest to her peers and to our staff.

“In short, she was a lovely girl – her beautiful smile, her loving nature and her sense of fun will be hugely missed. We are all devastated. Our love and thoughts are with her family and friends at this terribly sad time.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had been notified of 13 cases with signs and symptoms of meningitis from Friday to Sunday in the Canterbury area of Kent.

Some students at the University of Kent have been given antibiotics while others are in hospital. The specific strain of meningitis has not yet been identified.

A spokeswoman for the UKHSA told the Press Association: “We can confirm that UKHSA has worked with the University of Kent to provide advice letters to all 16,000 students, advising on recent cases, signs and symptoms, how to obtain antibiotics, and what to do if they feel unwell.”

Not all 16,000 students at the university will be given antibiotics, only those who are regarded as “close contacts” of those affected, such as living in the same accommodation block.

Meningococcal bacteria can cause serious illness, including inflammation of the lining of the brain and blood poisoning, which can rapidly lead to sepsis.

Anyone can get meningitis but it is most common in babies, children, teenagers and young adults and it can spread very quickly in places such as universities and colleges.

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