Meningitis Cases Weymouth: UK reports fresh meningitis cases in Weymouth, Dorset: Health officials urge caution

Fresh cases of meningitis have been reported in Weymouth, Dorset in the UK, days after the outbreak in Kent was reported. “The cases were confirmed between 20 March and 15 April. All have received treatment and are recovering well. Close contacts of the cases have already been offered antibiotics as a precaution,” the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said in a report. “Around 300 to 400 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed in England every year. These 3 cases have been confirmed as Meningitis B (MenB) and are the same sub-strain type, but a different sub-strain to the one detected recently in Kent.”“We are working closely with partners to follow up and offer precautionary antibiotics to close contacts of the cases. However, meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks like we have seen recently in Kent are rare. These cases are not linked to the Kent outbreak and it is important to be aware that this outbreak is not on the same scale as we saw in Kent in terms of speed of transmission or severity,” Dr Beth Smout, UKHSA Deputy Director has said.“However, it is possible that we will see further cases linked to these latest cases in Weymouth and we understand that there will be concern among students, staff, parents and the local community as we widen our offer of antibiotics and vaccination. I’d like to stress that this is an additional precaution, and that we’re following national guidelines to reduce the risk of the infection spreading. School pupils and staff should attend school as normal if they remain well,” he added.

What is meningitis?

So what are we actually talking about when we say meningitis? It’s an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis, the kind caused by meningococcal bacteria, is the dangerous version. It can go from early symptoms to life-threatening in a matter of hours, which is why speed matters more than almost anything else.Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, drowsiness, rapid breathing, shivering, and cold hands and feet. Septicaemia, blood poisoning, can also develop. Health officials are clear: don’t wait for all the signs before acting.UKHSA is now recommending a single dose of antibiotics and a meningitis B vaccine to residents in Weymouth or Portland or Chickerell. “anyone who is a resident in Weymouth or Portland or Chickerell and is in current school years 7 to 13 (or equivalent), or anyone not in full time education who would be in one of these year groups; anyone who attends an educational setting in the Weymouth, Portland or Chickerell area and is in current school years 7 to 13 (or equivalent),” the health agency has said.