A Meningitis Outbreak at the University of Kent Evokes Covid Memories
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- The University of Kent campus outside Canterbury has been largely deserted due to a meningitis outbreak linked to a nightclub in the city, with two deaths and at least 29 infections reported.
- Public health authorities and the university are distributing preventive antibiotics and offering vaccines targeting the "group B" meningococcal strain to students and nightclub attendees.
- The outbreak has prompted public health measures reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic, including remote exams and many students leaving campus.
- Some students, like first-year psychology student Akila Nedimo, have chosen to stay on campus to avoid potentially spreading the disease to vulnerable family members.
