Meningitis outbreak passes peak, says health agency

The peak of a fatal meningitis outbreak, thought to have originated in a Canterbury nightclub, has passed according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

A total of 29 confirmed or suspected cases of meningitis have been linked to the Kent outbreak, which has killed two people.

Trish Mannes, the agency's regional deputy director for the South East, told BBC Radio Kent that "this peak has passed, absolutely".

"We could still see cases continuing to come in, we need to keep an eye on those. We need to really understand exactly what happens a bit more before we can be too optimistic about this," Mannes said.

Authorities said on Monday that there had been no change to the figures.

Four clinics offering offering antibiotics and vaccines to eligible people reopened on Monday as part of the UKHSA's response to the outbreak.

More than 9,300 people have received jabs and 12,700 people have been given preventative antibiotics, according to the NHS.