The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an alert to NHS staff across England on signs and symptoms of meningitis to look out for.
It said the illness in the Kent outbreak had been severe with rapid deterioration.
The alert advice includes not waiting for a rash to appear but considering meningitis in “a rapidly deteriorating patient with sepsis”.
The fatal outbreak of meningitis B has spread to a second Kent university. Leaders at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) said the agency had confirmed one case of meningococcal disease involving a student there, linked to the initial cluster associated with Club Chemistry.
A major vaccine rollout scheme for students at the University of Kent is under way as health chiefs tackle the “explosive” outbreak of meningitis B.
Meanwhile, pharmacies say they are running out of supplies of the vaccine as demand for private uptake soars.
On Wednesday morning the UKHSA said experts were investigating 20 cases, and health secretary Wes Streeting warned cases may well continue to rise because the incubation period – between infection and when symptoms appear – is two to 14 days.
