Overview
- The Lancet Neurology study published Friday estimates 259,000 deaths and 2.5 million meningitis cases worldwide in 2023 and says the world is off pace for WHO goals.
- UKHSA reports about 20–22 laboratory-confirmed cases linked to a Canterbury nightclub with two deaths and has shifted outbreak updates to Tuesdays and Thursdays after no new cases in recent days.
- Health teams have offered antibiotics to people who visited Club Chemistry on 5–7 March and have run targeted student vaccination clinics that delivered more than 10,000 jabs locally.
- Laboratories have confirmed meningococcal group B in some Kent cases and officials say full strain results for the remaining cases are still pending.
- Experts and campaigners are urging catch‑up vaccination for teenagers and young adults who missed doses, and ministers are weighing broader options to close gaps exposed by the outbreak.