‘The videos are terrifying’: students describe spreading panic amid Kent meningitis outbreak

On Monday morning, nine days after a night out at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury, Joe Bradshaw realised he had been linked to the meningitis outbreak in Kent that has killed two people, a university student and a sixth-former.He ran through the week in his mind, beginning to worry about those he had been in contact with.“I’m less concerned about my own health than spreading [the infection] to other vulnerable people,” he said. “My mum’s just come out of surgery so her immune system is relatively suppressed.”Bradshaw, 23, is one of the many young people in Canterbury shocked by news of the outbreak

Meningitis outbreak at University of Kent and three schools kills two young people with 11 in hospital

A university and three schools have been struck by an outbreak of invasive meningitis that has killed two young people and left 11 others in hospital.One of the young people to have died was a student at the University of Kent, while the second was a sixth-former at Queen Elizabeth’s grammar school (QEGS) in Faversham.Two other schools, Simon Langton grammar school for boys in Canterbury and Norton Knatchbull school in Ashford, confirmed that both had a year 13 student in hospital with meningitis.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday evening it was continuing to investigate the outbreak, with 13 cases notified since March 13, including the two deaths.The sixth-form student at QEGS was named as Juliette by teachers, who described her as a kind and intelligent young woman

Child’s play: blame it all on the dog | Brief letters

When gently asked about a pen scribble in a picture book “Goodness, I wonder who did that?”, 27-month-old Emily confidently retorted “Nancy!” – our miniature dachshund (Little liars: babies younger than one practise deceit, study suggests, 16 March).Dianne BallNottingham The government’s fuel duty is set, but the VAT element is a percentage of the retail price. Reducing VAT, perhaps to zero, could be a way to show an intent for fuel price “fairness” and avoid accusations that the government is profiteering, as it is suggesting that others might be (Watchdog puts UK fuel retailers ‘on notice’ over profiteering from Iran war, 12 March).Mic PorterWhitley Bay, Tyne and Wear Donald Trump’s performance reminds me of the Lyndon Johnson campaign’s evaluation of Barry Goldwater, his Republican rival in the 1964 presidential election: “In your guts, you know he’s nuts”.Dr John DohertyStratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire So Iran may to have to withdraw from the Fifa World Cup (Report, 12 March) because it is being bombed by the winner of the Fifa peace prize

‘Second chance’: why minister wants to jail fewer women in England and Wales

Pat had been in trouble with the police before, when she was 16 and had been spat out of the care system with no qualifications, no housing and no support. Nearly 50 years later, she heard a knock on the door again.There had been a fire in the estate where she lived, and another resident said she had seen Pat start it. “I was in the police station for nearly two days before I got to the magistrates court,” she said, worrying one finger over the top of her hand. “The magistrate said he was sending it to the crown court, and sending me to prison, basically

Robert Goodman obituary

In 1992 a man with poorly controlled schizophrenia climbed into the lions’ enclosure at London Zoo and was badly mauled. This and other horrifying incidents in the early 1990s prompted widespread concern about services for mentally ill people.Better statistics were urgently required. Official surveys initially focused on adults, but in 1999 the Office for National Statistics decided to survey children and young people’s mental health for the first time, turning to the child psychiatrist Robert Goodman to guide their team of psychologists and statisticians.As well as being a distinguished child psychiatrist, Goodman had invented two child psychiatric assessment tools that now underpin population surveys worldwide: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA)

Kent meningitis outbreak: key questions answered

A sixth-form pupil and a university student in Kent have died and 11 people are believed to be seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis. We take a look at the disease, and how the situation is being managed.Meningitis is a serious condition in which the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord are infected with bacteria or a virus and become inflamed. It can come on suddenly and can be fatal.The current outbreak appears to involve invasive meningococcal disease