Health authorities are pressing ahead with their investigation into a meningococcal disease outbreak affecting Kent, with the situation claiming two lives thus far.
According to figures released by the UK Health Security Agency at 5pm on 18 March, laboratory testing has confirmed 15 cases of the illness.
A further 12 notifications are currently being examined, bringing the overall number of potential cases to 27.
The outbreak has spread beyond the county's borders, with confirmed infections identified among pupils at four Kent schools and one student attending a London higher education institution who has been definitively linked to the cluster.
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The total number of confirmed cases has reached 27
|GETTY
Preventative antibiotic treatment is being administered to students at the University of Kent as part of efforts to contain the spread.
Those who attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury between 5 and 7 March are also being urged to obtain the medication.
The UKHSA has ensured that students who have since returned home or travelled away from the area can still access treatment through their local GP surgeries anywhere in the country.
Antibiotics remain the primary tool in tackling the outbreak, with health officials emphasising that close contacts of confirmed or suspected cases should seek treatment without delay.
A targeted MenB vaccination programme has now been launched to provide longer-term protection against the disease.
Approximately 5,000 individuals are eligible for the jabs, comprising students and staff who reside in or work within the halls of residence at the University of Kent's Canterbury Campus.
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Health officials have indicated that this immunisation effort may be broadened should their ongoing assessment identify additional population groups facing heightened risk.
Whilst two doses of the MenB vaccine offer protection against becoming ill, authorities have stressed that immunisation does not prevent individuals from carrying the bacteria or transmitting it to others within the community.
Meningitis transmission requires sustained proximity rather than brief encounters | GETTYTrish Mannes, UKHSA Regional Deputy Director for the South East, cautioned that the vaccine has its limitations: "Two doses of the MenB vaccine helps protect individuals against meningococcal B disease. It is important to know that the MenB vaccine does not protect against all strains of meningococcal disease, nor against all infections that can cause meningitis."
She urged those offered preventative antibiotics to take them promptly, adding that eligible University of Kent students who have returned home should contact their local GP for advice and treatment.
The UKHSA has confirmed that the risk to the wider population remains low, whilst contact tracing continues apace.
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