01634 383000

 Apply Now

 01634 383000

 Apply Now

You may have seen media reports of a meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent.  No one from our College has become unwell as part of the outbreak.
 
Click to read the latest guidance for MidKent College students and staff from the UK Health Security Agency.

UK Health Security Agency Meningitis guidance

Details

You may have seen media reports of a meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent.  No one from our College has become unwell as part of the outbreak.


What you should do

You should continue to attend as normal.  Meningococcal disease does not spread easily so the risk to you is very low. Meningococcal disease happens when a bacteria (germ) enters the body.  This germ can cause swelling around the brain, called meningitis.  The germ can get into blood, called septicaemia.  Both can be very serious if not treated early.

You should seek medical help if you are sick with these symptoms:

  • High temperature 
  • Quick breathing
  • Vomiting (sickness) 
  • Pain in their arms and legs
  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Stiff neck
  • Being very sleepy or difficult to wake
  • Dislike of bright lights
  • Seizures or fits
  • Rash
  • Diarrhoea (soft or liquid poo)

Call your GP or NHS 111 if you have concerns.  If you become very unwell and need urgent help call 999 for an ambulance.

How to protect yourself

The best way to protect yourself is with free NHS vaccines (injections).  It is not too late to catch up missed vaccines. To check if you have had all your vaccines, you can:

  • look in your red book (health record) if you have one
  • call your GP to check and book an appointment to catch up

The vaccines don’t protect from all types (strains) of this bacteria.  We now know the strain in this outbreak is strain B. The free NHS vaccines protect from the most important strain types, including:

  • Strain B – this is the most common type, causing 4 out of every 5 cases.  Babies born on or after the 1st May 2015 were offered this vaccine on the NHS.  Most people born before this date will not have been offered the Strain B vaccine. For more information see the Men B vaccine factsheet. 
  • Strains A, C, W and Y – these types used to be more common, but the vaccine keeps the number of cases very low.  Teenagers are given this vaccine at school but if you missed this vaccine you can be caught up if you are under 25 years. For more information see the Men ACWY vaccine factsheet.

About meningococcal disease

For more information, visit the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/ and see the information available from two charities who offer free support via their websites and helplines:

The Meningitis Research Foundation

www.meningitis.org

Helpline UK 080 8800 3344

Meningitis Now

www.meningitisnow.org

Helpline 0808 80 10 388

or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.