What's driving the outbreak of meningitis among students?

More than 30,000 people are being contacted in the Canterbury area regarding the outbreak of bacterial meningitis in Kent. Two people have died, and others are seriously ill. James Gallagher speaks with immunologist Sir Andrew Pollard about the disease, and finds out what could have caused the outbreak. That’s the major headline from the UK. But more broadly, for the last few weeks the news has been dominated by the situation in the Middle East. James speaks with Dr Antoine Abou Fayad, a microbiologist and medicinal chemist based in Beirut, Lebanon. He reveals that war, just like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, provides the perfect storm to accelerate the spread of multidrug-resistant infections. And nobody is safe. And finally, James finds out about an ongoing trial at the University of Exeter, where interactive computer games are being used by stroke patients to improve their recovery. And, of course, James has a go himself! Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell Researcher: Tom Hunt Editor: Ilan Goodman

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What's driving the outbreak of meningitis among students? is an episode from Inside Health by BBC.

This episode is 28:09 long.

This episode was published on Mar 24, 2026.

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