A baby girl is critically ill in hospital with meningitis, believed to be the youngest person to become infected amid the major outbreak in Kent.
Nine-month-old Nala-Rose Fletcher, from Folkestone, is in intensive care at Evelina London Children's Hospital, having fallen ill on March 4, just days before a number of cases were declared in Canterbury.
Nala-Rose’s parents Danielle Trott and Nick Fletcher have said that she has the same strain as the outbreak, and a JustGiving page has been set up to support the family.
Posts on the fundraising page say: “Nothing can truly prepare you for the pain and fear that comes with what we’ve been living through, and are still living through.
“Nala-Rose is still very poorly and remains in intensive care. We already know she will be left with lasting difficulties for the rest of her life, and that’s something we’re only beginning to come to terms with.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told Parliament that the deadly Kent meningitis outbreak is “unprecedented”, with the number of cases rising to 15 according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Health chiefs have revealed that all cases are requiring hospital treatment, with four of those are confirmed to be the highly dangerous MenB strain and the other cases under investigation.
The number of cases is expected to rise in the coming days, as the incubation period for the infection is between two and 14 days.
Mr Streeting has said that officials will begin a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury in the coming days, with around 5,000 students set to be offered the meningitis B vaccine.
This comes as parents contact pharmacies in a desperate effort to get their children vaccinated, with stocks of the vaccine running low, while hundreds of students have been queuing to receive antibiotics.
Health officials have stressed that people should not skip antibiotics if prescribed them, with a single tablet of Ciprofloxacin reducing the risk of meningitis in a household by around 80% to 90%.
Meanwhile, the UKHSA is attempting to identify anyone the 15 confirmed casualties of the outbreak have been in contact with, after it emerged a University of Kent student travelled to London, fell ill there and sought help at a hospital in the capital.
The outbreak, which is being viewed by experts as unprecedented due to the high number of cases appearing in such a short space of time, is centred on Canterbury, and has thus far claimed two lives, including a student at the University of Kent.
Eighteen-year-old sixth form pupil Juliette, who attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, has also passed away, and was described by her headteacher as "kind, thoughtful and intelligent".
Her father told the BBC that the family are “beyond devastated and they have no words to express their loss.”
The UKHSA is advising anyone who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6 or 7 to come forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a “precautionary measure”.
Four schools in Kent have now confirmed cases - Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury and Highworth Grammar School in Ashford.
While the government is not advising schools to close, some in parts of Kent have shut.
MenB is the most common cause of meningococcal meningitis in the UK, but routine vaccinations were only rolled out in 2015, meaning the current generation of students and others in their late teens are not covered.
The government has said that jabs may be offered more widely as the UKHSA assesses ongoing risk to other populations.
