Health chiefs have said that the outbreak of meningitis that has killed a university student and a sixth former is unprecedented.
The number of confirmed cases of invasive meningitis in the Canterbury area stands at 15, with a targeted vaccination programme in progress.
Two people have died – a 21-year-old university student and Juliette, a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham.
Susan Hopkins, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said there was an “explosive nature” to the outbreak, while deputy chief medical officer Dr Thomas Waite said it was the quickest growing outbreak he had seen in his career.
Earlier, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described it as an unprecedented outbreak and a “rapidly developing situation”.
There has been a super spreader event, with the outbreak ongoing within university halls of residences, where there would have been parties and social mixing.
The government has said that jabs may be offered more widely as the UKHSA assesses ongoing risk to other populations.
Laboratory scientists are urgently trying to work out if the spread was caused by a possible mutant strain of menB.
The genome of the menB strain identified in the outbreak is undergoing whole genome sequencing to see if there are any differences to known strains.
It will also be tested against available menB vaccines, though experts stressed people should get a jab if eligible.
More than 30,000 people across Canterbury have been contacted by the UKHSA, which called the outbreak “particularly large”.
Streeting told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the figures would be updated publicly by UKHSA each day at 09:30am.
The government is not advising schools to close, although some in parts of Kent have shut.
The five schools with confirmed or suspected cases are Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, Norton Knatchbull School and Highworth Grammar School in Ashford, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury and the Canterbury Academy.
The University of Kent has said its campus will remain open, despite all scheduled assessments for the next few days being cancelled.
The Independent Pharmacies Association, said pharmacies, particularly in Kent, were seeing a “surge in demand” for private jabs. Unfortunately stocks were running out, while some places had none left.
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