Early Years Essential 19 March 2026 |
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This Early Years Essential (EYE) newsletter brings together local and national updates to support settings in Milton Keynes. We hope you continue to find the EYE useful. If you have any feedback – please let us know.
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Update on the meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent and Medway
You will have seen recent media reports about an invasive meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent and Medway.
We want to reassure you that while meningococcal disease can affect all ages, recent outbreaks have shown that older children, teenagers and young adults are more likely to be affected, and the individuals affected so far in this outbreak have been older teenagers and young adults. Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and most children in primary age groups will have had access to the national infant vaccination programme. Vaccination coverage is above 90%.
Children can and should continue to attend their early education setting as normal unless their parents or carers have been directly advised otherwise by the local health protection team. Outbreaks of this size are rare. If parents have not been contacted directly by the UK Health Security Agency, the risk to them/their child is low.
It is always important for parents and carers to make sure that children stay up to date with all their routine vaccinations, as these offer important protection against infectious disease outbreaks.
Parents and carers should also be aware and alert to the signs and symptoms of invasive meningococcal disease.
For more information, visit the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/ or see the information available from two charities who offer free support via their websites and helplines:
The Meningitis Research Foundation www.meningitis.org Helpline UK 080 8800 3344
Meningitis Now www.meningitisnow.org Helpline 0808 80 10 388 or helpline@meningitisnow.org
UKHSA blog post Meningitis B outbreak: what you need to know – UK Health Security Agency |
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