Meningitis Outbreak

Naushabah Khan Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I thank the shadow Secretary of State for his constructive response and support as we respond to this incident, and I welcome the way in which he has rightly brought scrutiny to the response. I should say from the outset that once we are through this, we will obviously look at the handling of the UKHSA’s response at every point, because there are always things that we can learn from and seek to do better.

The balance that needed to be struck in the public communication was to ensure that people were informed in a timely way, but also that, first, we did not spread unnecessary anxiety and concern, and secondly, having been made aware of the risk, there was a channel through which people could receive support. As I set out in the timeline, in response to individual cases, thorough contact tracing was undertaken and antibiotics were offered in cases of direct contact. By 5 pm on Sunday, the antibiotics were more widely available, and public communication went out at 6 pm. The schools were identified over the course of Sunday—that was not a straightforward experience.

The two schools identified, Simon Langton grammar school and Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school in Faversham, were both contacted first thing on Monday. We are also looking at Norton Knatchbull school in Ashford, where there may potentially be another case. We are working closely with those schools and have stood up wider school briefing. We will look carefully at whether we could have done more, and more quickly, to identify those schools and make contact ahead of Monday morning.

The shadow Secretary of State asked about the criteria for educational settings and the wider availability of vaccinations. We are looking at this issue actively with the UKHSA and will make announcements about further cohorts in the coming days. Turning to local NHS capacity, the NHS in the south-east region is supporting the UKHSA, which is the lead agency, in the response to the bacterial meningitis outbreak. Kent and Medway integrated care board has stood up, and is currently operating, a hub at the University of Kent site to deliver prophylaxis to students, and a second site has also been opened. We have obviously made sure that appropriate support is in place for hospitals responding to patients presenting at those hospitals.

The shadow Secretary of State asked about the supply of antibiotics and vaccinations. We are confident that we have the right levels in place to respond, and as we think about potentially widening cohorts, we will obviously make sure that supplies are available in a timely and effective way.

[Naushabah Khan (Gillingham and Rainham) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for his statement, and I particularly welcome his announcement that he is reviewing the ongoing use of the vaccine and considering expanding it to a wider cohort. Given that the University of Kent also has campuses in Medway, could he inform me what work he is doing with the university to ensure that the spread across other campuses is monitored on a regular basis, and that if there is any potential for this outbreak to spread further, it is being reviewed regularly?

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her question, which raises an important point—the shadow Secretary of State also raised it—about public health information. There are exams taking place at the University of Kent this week, but many students may have returned home, and indeed there will be some students at the University of Kent in Canterbury who commute in from the surrounding area. We have four sites available on and around the campus: the senate building at the University of Kent, the Gate clinic at Kent and Canterbury hospital on Ethelbert Road in Canterbury, Westgate Hall in Canterbury, and the Carey building at the Thanet community health hub in Broadstairs, which is planned to be open from Tuesday 17 March. We are also making sure that students who have gone home and who may wish to access antibiotics because of risk factors or concern about symptoms are able to contact their GPs and receive support locally.