Dear Parents and Carers,
As you may have seen in the press, there is an outbreak of meningococcal disease group B (MenB) in Kent. Sadly, this includes two young people who are known to have died. Understandably, this will cause concern in West Sussex and students and staff may be feeling worried about the risk of this disease.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is leading the response, and West Sussex County Council’s Public Health team is staying in close contact with them and local partners. The control measures put in place in Kent are aiming to prevent further cases. There are currently no cases of this infection linked to the Kent situation in West Sussex. It is important to remember that meningitis spreads through close and usually prolonged contact. School pupils should continue to go to school and do their normal activities unless directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team.
From 2015, the MenB vaccine has been available on the NHS as part of routine childhood immunisations, so those aged over 10 have not received it as part of the routine schedule. It is therefore important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the infection, which can found via the following links:
There are numerous strains of the meningococcal infection. Teenagers are routinely offered the MenACWY vaccination in year 9, which protects against MenA, MenC, MenW, and MenY. If someone missed this vaccination at school, they could still get it, up until their 25th birthday, by contacting their GP.
Symptoms to look out for and updates on the national and local situation can be found here.
If you feel that this information is appropriate for your school community, please do pass it on to your families.
Kind regards,
Alison Challenger
Director of Public Health