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With the number of meningitis cases connected to an outbreak in Kent now at 29, a medical expert has outlined why the situation is so serious. Two people - 18-year-old Juliette Kenny and an unnamed 21-year-old - have died, while students and young people across the region are being offered vaccinations and antibiotics in a bid to contain the spread of the infection.

The UK Health Security Agency has now confirmed the number of cases linked to the outbreak has climbed to 29. This comprises 18 confirmed infections and a further 11 "probable cases", all connected to Kent. Thirteen of the 18 confirmed cases are verified to be the strain of the disease known as MenB. All cases have necessitated hospital admission. Now, an A&E doctor with nearly half a million TikTok followers has explained why the outbreak warrants such grave attention.

Dr Ahmed, who describes himself as "healthcare Gordon Ramsay", said: "It turns out that the bacteria that's causing meningitis in all the students down in Kent is neisseria meningitis type B.

"This strain is particularly ruthless in how quickly it affects people and how quickly it can become very severe. This is why anybody who was born after 2015 is covered with the meningitis B vaccine, but young adults and people who are college-going, they may not be covered by the vaccine because it was not offered at the time."

He added teenagers in the UK are typically vaccinated against four other types of meningitis - called the MenACWY vaccine - but this does not cover meningitis B, reports the Mirror. He continued: "Is this going to change following what's happened down in Kent? I do not know."

"I do know that they are offering certain targeted individuals the meningitis B vaccine, even if they're adults, just in case they may have come into contact with anybody who has had the disease, but the mainstay of treatment still is antibiotics for anybody who has been in close contact."

Continuing, he said: "Am I worried that this is going to spread nationally? Not yet.

"We see this happen often in the UK in small clusters across the year, normally three or four hundred cases a year. What's different this time is that it's type B meningitis, which can be a bit more dicey."

He concluded: "Anybody who is becoming unwell, especially with a fever, headache, cough, back pain, neck pain, and they feel like they may have been in contact with somebody who could have meningitis down south, they should contact NHS 111, their GP, or go to A&E if they feel unwell."

The NHS describes meningitis as "an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord". It states the condition can affect anyone, but is most prevalent in babies, young children, teenagers, and young adults.

The organisation warns meningitis can be extremely serious if not treated swiftly, and can trigger sepsis, which can prove fatal. It can also lead to permanent damage to the brain or nerves.

It is typically caused by a bacterial or viral infection - bacterial meningitis is rarer, but more severe, and it is this form of the illness which the two people in Kent died from. Infections can be transmitted through sneezing, coughing, or kissing, and is generally passed on by people harbouring the virus or bacteria in their nose or throat, but who are not unwell themselves.

The NHS says symptoms of meningitis can develop quickly and in any order. Someone with meningitis may not develop all these symptoms. They can include:

• a high temperature (fever)
• being sick
• a headache
• a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it
• a stiff neck
• a dislike of bright lights
• drowsiness or unresponsiveness
• seizures (fits)