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Wes Streeting has expressed concern about the rapid spread and severity of the meningitis outbreak in Kent. According to UKHSA health officials, the number of confirmed cases has risen from 15 to 20. Streeting described the outbreak in Kent as “unprecedented”. Therefore, we thought we’d take a look at the data.
Based on UKHSA annual surveillance reports (2010-2025), the number of meningococcal cases in England decreased significantly, from approximately 1,915 in 2010 to 1,010 in 2015. This downward trend continued more gradually, reaching below 700 cases by 2019. In 2020, the number of cases dropped dramatically, largely due to COVID-19 restrictions. Following this decline, cases began to rise again, stabilising at roughly 340-400 per year.
The case numbers for infants declined markedly from 2010 to 2019, dropped sharply in 2020, and then rose again post-pandemic. Teenagers and young adults formed the second-largest group, following a similar pattern of decline. Adult cases were lower overall but still showed the same temporal trend.
Across all age groups, cases decreased substantially over the decade, with a clear disruption in 2020 and partial recovery thereafter....<<<Read More>>>...
