Guidance

Information for education settings in England regarding the meningococcal disease outbreak

Updated 21 March 2026

With increased attention on recent meningococcal disease cases, it’s understandable that schools, colleges, training providers, universities and early years settings may feel concerned. We’ve put together this guide to help you understand what’s happening, what actions (if any) you need to take, and how UKHSA is supporting educational settings during this outbreak.

Key message: If UKHSA hasn’t contacted you, and you have not been alerted to a new case in your setting by a parent or carer, no action is required.

Educational settings should continue operating as usual. UKHSA will always contact settings directly when action is needed.

We know sometimes education settings may hear directly from parents that their child has symptoms or is a possible case of meningococcal disease. If you need to contact UKHSA about a case of meningococcal disease please enter your postcode here to find how to contact your local health protection team: Find your local health protection team in England - GOV.UK

If a child or young person is well but has been directly advised by a public health professional to not attend an education setting, they should not do so.

Are you advising any educational settings in Kent or the rest of England to close? 

No. Schools, colleges, training providers and universities in Kent or elsewhere in England are not being advised to close, or partially close, or offer remote learning because of this outbreak.

If UKHSA identifies that a setting needs extra precautions, the local health protection team will contact that setting directly. If you have not been contacted, you can operate as normal.

If you face operational challenges for other reasons, your local authority is your best source of support.

Can children or young adults in the Kent area continue to attend educational settings?

Yes. Children and students of all ages can and should continue to attend education settings as normal, unless settings have been directly advised otherwise by their local health protection team.

Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and outbreaks of this size are rare. For parents and carers – if you have not been contacted directly by UKHSA, the risk to you or your child is low.

Attending education settings is vitally important for children and young people – not only for their learning, but also for their social and emotional wellbeing. It is also important that education professionals have regular contact with vulnerable children, to mitigate safeguarding risks.

Pupils, students, parents and carers might be feeling more cautious about symptoms of illness at the moment. For schools, in addition to the guidance linked below on the symptoms of meningococcal disease, the NHS provides clear guidance on when children are well enough to attend. Most mild illnesses — such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough — do not require time off school, unless a child has a temperature.

If a child or young person is well but has been directly advised by a public health professional to not attend an education setting, they should not do so.

Who counts as a close contact of a case?

A close contact is someone who has had prolonged, close exposure to a confirmed case of meningococcal disease during the 7 days before the person became unwell. For example living or sleeping in the same household.

Prolonged close contact is required for the bacteria to spread to another person. The bacteria live in the back of the throat, so it is generally not easily passed on through casual or transient contact, like shaking hands. Meningococcal disease is not as contagious as other infections such as measles and COVID-19.      

Situations and activities such as the below would be unlikely to result in the bacteria being passed between people and so are not usually considered close contacts:

• students or pupils in the same school or college, class or tutor group
• work or school or college colleagues
• school or college friends
• travelling to school or college on the same bus or in the same car
• travelling across the country in a car or public transport (for example to or from university)
• contact during PE
• a quick kiss on the cheek or mouth (more intimate kissing would be considered prolonged, close exposure)
• sharing food, drink or water bottles
• sharing toys that may be mouthed in early years settings

However, as a precautionary and preventative measure during this outbreak, some students in a setting where there is a case may be offered antibiotics to help prevent the spread of meningococcal bacteria in that group. Affected educational settings will be contacted about this.

We have close contacts of a person with meningococcal disease case in our setting. Should they stay at home?

No. Close contacts can attend education settings as normal and do not need to stay at home or stay away from other people. However, if they become unwell with signs or symptoms of meningococcal disease (meningitis and sepsis) they should seek medical advice.

Close contacts will be offered antibiotics to help prevent them developing infection and prevent the spread of meningococcal bacteria to other people. People can carry meningococcal bacteria in their nose or throat without becoming sick themselves. Antibiotics work very quickly to eliminate these bacteria, which in turn reduces the risk of the infection spreading. 

We have contacts of close contacts in our setting, should they stay at home?

No. Contacts of close contacts can attend education settings as normal. They do not need to stay at home and do not need to stay away from other people.

Meningococcal disease does not spread easily. Close contacts are identified and given antibiotics. This reduces the chances of them carrying the meningococcal bacteria in their nose and throat and spreading it to others. These antibiotics work very quickly to eliminate the bacteria. Contacts of these close contacts are at very low risk of catching the bacteria. 

Do students who have returned from an affected university need to isolate?

No. Students returning home from an affected university do not need to isolate unless they have been directly advised otherwise by their setting or local health protection team.

Have children and young people in my setting been vaccinated against meningococcal disease?

Several types of meningococcal bacteria can cause serious illness, which is why different vaccines have been developed to protect against them. In the UK, 2 main vaccines are used, MenACWY and MenB.

MenACWY protects against 4 types of meningococcal disease (group A, C, W, and Y) and MenB protects against meningococcal disease group B.

The MenB vaccine has been part of the NHS routine childhood schedule since July 2015. Most children who were born after 1 July 2015 will have been offered the MenB vaccine as part of the routine immunisation schedule when they were babies. This means that most children in primary schools and early years settings will have had the MenB vaccine.

Outside of this programme children can only receive MenB vaccination privately. Older children will not have had MenB vaccination unless they have received it privately.

The MenB vaccine does not protect you against meningococcal disease group A, C, W or Y.

The MenB vaccine does not prevent the bacteria from being carried and spread in the community, but it does protect you from becoming unwell.

Teenagers are routinely offered the MenACWY vaccine, in school years 9 and 10. The MenACWY vaccine does not protect you from MenB.

Should children, young people or staff be wearing masks in the setting?

No. UKHSA is not advising the use of face masks for staff or children or young people in educational settings to prevent the spread of meningococcal disease. The bacteria which cause meningococcal disease are spread through close, prolonged contact. Meningococcal bacteria do not spread in the same way as respiratory viruses like COVID-19.   

Are restrictions being placed on gatherings or university social events on campus?

No. Unless you have been advised by your UKHSA local health protection team there are no restrictions on gatherings, social events or university campus activities.

We are a boarding school, do we need to take extra precautions to reduce risk of meningococcal disease?

No. There have been no cases of meningococcal disease in boarding schools as part of this outbreak. There is nothing you need to do differently and you can continue to operate as usual.

If a case of meningococcal disease occurs in a boarding school then the setting will be given direct advice by their local UKHSA health protection team, including assessment of risk due to close contact for those who stay overnight in the setting.

Do children’s homes need to take extra precautions to reduce risk of meningococcal disease?

No. There have been no cases of meningococcal disease in children’s homes as part of this outbreak. There is nothing you need to do differently and you can continue to operate as usual.

Do out of school settings need to take extra precautions to reduce risk of meningococcal disease?

No. The risk to most members of the public, including out of school settings, remains low as meningococcal disease does not spread easily without close contact. UKHSA is actively identifying close contacts of confirmed cases and offering them antibiotics and vaccination to reduce the risk of further spread.

Should pregnant staff or immunosuppressed staff and children stay at home?

No. Pregnant staff and immunocompromised staff or children can continue to attend the setting as normal.

Is sharing water bottles or toys that may be mouthed in early years and school settings going to spread meningococcal disease?

The risk of meningococcal disease in these settings is very low.

Sharing a water bottle or toys that may be mouthed is not considered a high risk way of spreading meningococcal disease. The bacteria usually spread through very close, prolonged contact such as living together, kissing, or long periods in the same household.      

Even though the risk is low, sharing water bottles or mouthed toys isn’t good infection prevention and control practice and should be avoided if possible. It can easily spread other germs like colds, flu, and stomach bugs.

I have heard about a case of meningitis/meningococcal disease in our area. Should I write to parents to let them know?

Hearing about cases locally can be concerning, but it does not necessarily mean a case has been confirmed as meningococcal disease linked to this outbreak. There are lot of different viruses and bacteria (including meningococcal bacteria) that cause meningitis and sepsis type symptoms. In  2024/25, there were 378 cases of meningococcal disease reported in England. Cases of viral and bacterial meningitis will continue to occur in the community, as they currently do. 

If a case of meningococcal disease or viral meningitis occurs in the community, UKHSA local health protection teams will advise on any action required, including communications to parents of children and young people in educational settings.

I have heard this is a new strain, is that true?

MenB (meningococcal group B) bacteria, and different strains within the group, have been circulating in the community for decades, and it’s one of the most common causes of meningococcal disease in the UK.  

Where can I find further information and support?

Urgent help: advice and support are being offered to the wider university community, and to local hospitals and NHS 111. 

UKHSA has published information on:

• what you need to know about the current meningococcal B outbreak
• who is eligible for the MenB vaccine

You might find the information on the NHS or meningitis charity websites helpful:

• NHS: www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis
• Meningitis Research Foundation: www.meningitis.org
  0808 800 3344 (24 hours)
• Meningitis Now: www.meningitisnow.org
   0808 80 10 388 (9am to 8pm)