'I got up at 4am to get the Meningitis vaccine'

A student who got up during the early hours of the morning to travel for hours to get the Meningitis B vaccine said it "felt like a moment in history".

James Thompson and his mum left their home in Ipswich at 04:00 GMT on Friday to drive to Canterbury, where he studies at the University of Kent.

Kent is the county where the recent outbreak of Meningitis-B originated. It has so far affected at least 34 people and killed two, including a student at the university.

Thompson, 20, was in the area at the time of the outbreak, and said he had left as soon as he could because he "didn't want to be surrounded by the threat of meningitis".

He arrived back in the county at about 07:00 on Friday, becoming the first in line at the university to get the jab that day.

More than 8,000 people have been vaccinated so far, with more than 12,100 given precautionary antibiotics.

"I felt complete terror and panic when the news broke on Sunday, I just wanted to get out of here because I know it's a very fast moving and scary disease," he said.

"Then when the [vaccine] news was released, we planned to get up at 4:00, leave Ipswich and come down to Canterbury. My mum very kindly drove me down.

"I've got a lot more peace of mind and this is the first day when I've not been having to convince myself that I don't have symptoms – it felt like a moment in history."

While rare in the UK, Meningitis-B can be life-threatening and deadly, with bacteria invading the lining of the brain and poisoning the blood.

In this instance, the first case was reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 13 March and public warnings came out two days later, on Sunday night.

The most recent outbreak has resulted in the deaths of 18-year-old sixth former pupil, Juliette Kenny, and a 21-year-old University of Kent student.

Routine vaccinations only began to be rolled out in 2015, meaning the current generation of students and others in their late teens are not protected.

The UKHSA rolled out its vaccine programme for university students and staff and close contacts of those with the disease last week.

Anyone who visited or was working at Club Chemistry in Canterbury between 5 March and 15 March, when the venue closed voluntarily, can also get the vaccine.

Year 12 and 13 pupils at schools with confirmed or probable cases and anyone who has been offered preventative antibiotic treatment by the UKHSA are also eligible.

Students from other universities in Canterbury where there has been a case and have been advised to take an antibiotic due to a close contact.

Thompson, who studies politics and international relations, alongside a year of television and online broadcasting, said the university was taking it "really seriously".

"It was a very friendly and caring atmosphere and they gave us pens to fill out our consent forms which they'd sanitise after every use," he added.

"It felt surreal to get the vaccine because there's been so much national and local media attention, so it was definitely a very big day.

"Fingers crossed the vaccine is expanded."

Health secretary Wes Streeting told the Commons on Tuesday that he would seek advice on whether the vaccine should be made more available from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

"On the question of wider eligibility, we obviously follow the expert independent advice of the JCVI," he said.

"In light of this latest outbreak, I will be asking them to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.

"I will do so without prejudicing their decision because we have to follow the clinical advice on this."

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