A teenage girl has died after contracting meningitis in a popular Spanish holiday destination just days before the Easter getaway rush. The 17-year-old fell ill in Denia, on the Costa Blanca, with “symptoms compatible” with the deadly disease on Monday.
The girl, whose nationality has not yet been disclosed, had travelled to watch a basketball game in Valencia’s Roig Arena on Saturday, before beginning to feel unwell. After initially dismissing her symptoms as a cold, she woke up the next day with spots covering her face. The girl was rushed to hospital as her condition rapidly worsened, where she was admitted to intensive care and tragically died just days after first falling unwell.
Health officials have since confirmed meningitis as the cause of death and launched urgent contact tracing, offering preventative antibiotics to those who may have been exposed.
The tragedy comes amid growing concern over recent cases across Europe, including multiple deaths in Spain and a separate outbreak in the UK.
There have been two other meningitis deaths in Spain – one in Extremadura and one in Andalucia, involving a teen and a five-year-old.
However, Spanish authorities have stressed there is no wider public health risk, with cases currently contained and under control.
In an outbreak in Kent, two students died – 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who was described by her family as “fit, healthy and strong” before her death, and a University of Kent student.
As of 12.30pm on Tuesday, 20 laboratory-confirmed cases had been reported, with a further 2 under investigation, bringing the total to 22, according to the UKHSA.
This was down from Monday, when 20 cases were confirmed, and three were under investigation.
Officials started vaccinating University of Kent students on Wednesday, March 18.
NHS Kent and Medway said that by 11am on March 24, 13,386 doses of antibiotics had been given out – along with 10,627 vaccines.
All patients in the Kent outbreak have required hospital admission.
Nine were admitted to the intensive care unit, where four remain.
A UKHSA spokesperson said: “UKHSA has well-established processes for dealing with single cases or cases where there are small numbers of people affected including offering antibiotic prophylactics to household or family members or people that have had an overnight stay during the incubation period.
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