Students receiving vaccines and antibiotics from medical staff in the sports hall at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury. Photograph: Stanley Murphy-Johns/PA WireThe number of confirmed meningitis cases linked to the Kent outbreak has fallen from 23 to 20. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Sunday that three cases previously thought confirmed had been downgraded after further testing. The government body said the number of suspected cases under investigation had also fallen, from 11 to nine, putting the total number of cases at 29, down from 34 reported on Saturday. Nineteen of the 20 confirmed cases are meningitis B, known as MenB, and all have required hospital admission.

Source: The Irish Times March 22, 2026 19:37 UTC