mice

Mammals cannot be cloned infinitely, mice study discovers

BY DANIEL LAWLER

  • The 58th generation of mice did not survive, establishing for the first time that mammals cannot be cloned an infinite number of times, the scientists said in a study published on Tuesday.
  • There is a limit on how many times a mammal can be cloned before suffering "mutational meltdown", Japanese scientists have discovered, after making 1,200 clones over two decades that started off with a single mouse.
  • The 58th generation of mice did not survive, establishing for the first time that mammals cannot be cloned an infinite number of times, the scientists said in a study published on Tuesday.
There is a limit on how many times a mammal can be cloned before suffering "mutational meltdown", Japanese scientists have discovered, after making 1,200 clones over two decades that started off with a single mouse.
The 58th generation of mice did not survive, establishing for the first time that mammals cannot be cloned an infinite number of times, the scientists said in a study published on Tuesday.
It had been hoped that this method, which involves making clones of other clones, could have a range of uses in the future, including saving endangered species or mass-producing animals for their meat.
"We had believed that we could create an infinite number of clones. That is why these results are so disappointing," the study's senior author Teruhiko Wakayama of the University of Yamanashi told AFP.
It was Wakayama's team that cloned the first mouse in 1997, a year after the famous Dolly the Sheep became the first-ever mammal clone.
For the new research, the scientists first cloned the original female mouse in 2005.
Once a mouse reached three months old, they were cloned again, resulting in three or four new generations every year.
Over the next 20 years, they carried out more than 30,000 cloning attempts that created over 1,200 mice.
The process involves removing the DNA-containing nucleus of a cell from a donor animal and implanting it into an unfertilised egg from which the nucleus has been removed.

'Critical turning point'

In the first few years, the method's success rate steadily rose -- reaching over 15 percent at one point -- and the mice appeared to all be identical. 
This gave the scientists hope that they could make clones indefinitely.
However there was a "critical turning point" around the 25th generation, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
After that point, harmful genetic mutations built up over the generations, and each new set of mice was less likely to survive.
By the 57th generation, only 0.6 percent survived. Despite their accumulating mutations, these mice were still healthy.
However all the mice in the 58th generation died shortly after birth.
"There were no visible abnormalities in the pups, and the cause of death is unknown," Wakayama said.
The scientists sequenced the genomes of some of the clones, finding that they had three times more mutations than mice born via sexual reproduction. 
They also had larger placentas -- and some were missing a copy of their X chromosome.
"It was once believed that clones were identical to the original," Wakayama said, but this was clearly not the case.
Wakayama admitted his team has "no idea" how to overcome this problem, suggesting that  perhaps the answer was to develop a better cloning method.

The importance of sex

Importantly, when the later clones -- even in the 57th generation -- mated with male mice, they had healthy offspring with fewer mutations.
This discovery demonstrates "that sexual reproduction is indispensable for the long-term survival of mammalian species," the study said.
It also supports a theory called Muller's ratchet, which "predicts that in asexual lineages, deleterious mutations inevitably accumulate, ultimately producing mutational meltdown and extinction," the study said.
The research "provides the first empirical demonstration" that this meltdown occurs in mammals, it added.
The finding could also rule out all sorts of scenarios involving clones that have been dreamt up in science fiction.
For example, Wakayama joked that this finding meant it would have been impossible to create so many clone troopers in the Star Wars prequel "Attack of the Clones".
It could also affect any plans to preserve Earth's genetic resources in a vault in the hope of re-cloning a new population following some catastrophe in the future, the study pointed out.
Wakayama is also working on new ways to collect cells from animals without harming them, as part of efforts to bring endangered species back from the brink.
His team has already successfully made clones from cells found in urine -- and are currently working to do the same with faeces.
dl/yad

pandemic

WHO chief urges countries to complete pandemic agreement

  • In May 2025, WHO member states adopted a landmark pandemic agreement on tackling future health crises, after more than three years of negotiations sparked by the shock of Covid-19.
  • The World Health Organization chief on Monday urged countries to complete the missing piece of a pandemic agreement designed to avoid the panic and chaos of Covid-19 this week.
  • In May 2025, WHO member states adopted a landmark pandemic agreement on tackling future health crises, after more than three years of negotiations sparked by the shock of Covid-19.
The World Health Organization chief on Monday urged countries to complete the missing piece of a pandemic agreement designed to avoid the panic and chaos of Covid-19 this week.
WHO member states meeting at the UN health agency's Geneva headquarters have until Saturday to thrash out the trickiest bit of the entire treaty -- the nuts and bolts of how a vital portion of the text will work in practice.
"We must get this done. The next pandemic will not wait," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted.
He urged nations not to fall for the "dangerous temptation" to opt for yet more negotiating time, as the "increasingly unfavourable climate" would only mean "this will get harder, not easier".
In May 2025, WHO member states adopted a landmark pandemic agreement on tackling future health crises, after more than three years of negotiations sparked by the shock of Covid-19.
The accord aims to prevent future pandemics from leading to the disjointed responses and international disarray that surrounded the coronavirus crisis by improving global coordination, surveillance and access to vaccines.
But the heartbeat of the treaty, the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, was left aside in order to get the deal over the line.
Countries were given another year to sort out the details of how it will operate.
The PABS mechanism deals with sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential, then sharing the benefits derived from them: vaccines, tests and treatments.
Countries are tasked with getting PABS finalised by the next World Health Assembly, the WHO's decision-making body, in mid-May. 

'Not there yet'

Tedros welcomed negotiators back on Monday for the sixth and "for what we all hope will be the final meeting" on finalising PABS.
"We're so close -- but of course, we're not there yet," he said, warning that it was "probably the only chance" to secure an outcome.
"The conflict in the Middle East and crises elsewhere in our world are reminders that health emergencies can erupt suddenly and affect multiple countries, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks."
Tedros, who led the WHO during Covid-19, said countries must ask themselves whether the text would solve the problems faced during the pandemic.
"We need to do everything in our collective power to finalise the (deal) so we do not waste the last four-and-a-half years," he said.
"If we don't, we are left with the status quo: no PABS system, and a Pandemic Agreement that exists only on paper."
rjm/nl/sbk

vaccines

Mixed results for Lyme disease vaccine hit Valneva shares

  • The new vaccine candidate "demonstrated more than 70 percent efficacy in preventing Lyme disease in individuals aged five years and above" during a phase 3 clinical trial, the US and French-Austrian companies said in a joint statement. 
  • An experimental vaccine for Lyme disease is broadly effective, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Valneva announced Monday, however the latter firm's shares fell because the clinical trial did not reach its main goal.
  • The new vaccine candidate "demonstrated more than 70 percent efficacy in preventing Lyme disease in individuals aged five years and above" during a phase 3 clinical trial, the US and French-Austrian companies said in a joint statement. 
An experimental vaccine for Lyme disease is broadly effective, pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Valneva announced Monday, however the latter firm's shares fell because the clinical trial did not reach its main goal.
There are currently no approved vaccines to treat Lyme disease -- the world's most common tick-borne illness. 
The new vaccine candidate "demonstrated more than 70 percent efficacy in preventing Lyme disease in individuals aged five years and above" during a phase 3 clinical trial, the US and French-Austrian companies said in a joint statement. 
However, because there were fewer cases of Lyme disease than expected during the study period, the trial did not meet its primary endpoint, they added.
Following the announcement, Valneva's share price plunged more than 38 percent at around noon GMT on the Paris stock exchange, which was otherwise up 0.7 percent.
Prizer said in the statement it remains "confident in the vaccine's potential and is planning submissions to regulatory authorities" in the United States and European Union.
"These results bring us a step closer to our goal of delivering a much-needed vaccine to help protect against Lyme disease," Valneva CEO Thomas Lingelbach added.
The vaccine LB6V, formerly called VLA15, creates antibodies in humans that fight off the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease.
The condition is rarely fatal, but people bitten by an infected tick often get a rash and suffer flu-like symptoms including muscle and joint ache, headache, nausea and vomiting. 
In some cases, it can also cause neurological problems.
Research in 2022 estimated that more than 14 percent of the global population has had the disease, warning that transmission rates could increase as climate change brings longer, drier summers. 
pan/dl/gv

climate

German court rejects landmark climate case against BMW, Mercedes

BY SARAH MARIA BRECH WITH SAM REEVES IN FRANKFURT

  • DUH executive director Barbara Metz said the decision did not "absolve Mercedes-Benz and BMW of their responsibility for the climate crisis, which stems from their sale of millions of internal combustion engine vehicles in order to maximise profits".
  • A German top court on Monday rejected a landmark climate case brought by environmentalists that had aimed to force auto giants BMW and Mercedes-Benz to stop selling combustion-engine cars from 2030.
  • DUH executive director Barbara Metz said the decision did not "absolve Mercedes-Benz and BMW of their responsibility for the climate crisis, which stems from their sale of millions of internal combustion engine vehicles in order to maximise profits".
A German top court on Monday rejected a landmark climate case brought by environmentalists that had aimed to force auto giants BMW and Mercedes-Benz to stop selling combustion-engine cars from 2030.
The case at the Federal Court of Justice was brought by campaigners of the group Environmental Action Germany (DUH), and marked the latest example of activists turning to the judiciary to enforce climate action.
The plaintiffs built their case on a landmark 2021 ruling by Germany's Constitutional Court that the state has a duty to protect future generations from the effects of climate change and sought to apply the principle to companies.
But handing down its ruling, Germany's highest court for civil and criminal matters rejected DUH's arguments. It found that citizens' personal rights were "not affected... by the business activities of the defendant," in a decision that upheld rulings by lower courts.
"Private individuals cannot demand that automobile manufacturers refrain from placing passenger cars with internal combustion engines on the market" ahead of European Union deadlines, it said.
The DUH case demanded a 2030 phase-out of fossil fuel-powered cars -- five years earlier than the target year in a European Union plan that was last year watered down after intense lobbying by automakers.
DUH executive director Barbara Metz said the decision did not "absolve Mercedes-Benz and BMW of their responsibility for the climate crisis, which stems from their sale of millions of internal combustion engine vehicles in order to maximise profits".
But she said the court had made it clear that responsibility for action lies with the federal government, and called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to step up action to protect the climate.
The DUH said it was also considering whether to file an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Activists turning to courts

Mercedes welcomed the ruling for providing "a clarification of our democratic system".
"Setting legal requirements for climate targets is the responsibility of the legislature, not the judiciary," said the group in a statement, adding that climate protection remained a key consideration.
BMW added that the decision contributed to "legal certainty for companies operating in Germany". 
"Throughout the proceedings, we have consistently maintained the position that the debate over how to achieve climate targets must take place within the political process through democratically elected parliaments," the group added in a statement. 
The legal action is part of a wider trend of climate activists turning to courts.
Campaigners celebrated last May after a regional court in northern Germany ruled that companies could in principle be sued over the consequences of their emissions.
However, the court did not award damages to a Peruvian farmer, Saul Luciano Lliuya, who had brought the case against utility firm RWE.
The case against the carmakers was passed up to the Federal Court of Justice on appeal after lower courts in Stuttgart and Munich ruled in favour of the firms, finding they had complied with relevant regulations.
German carmakers have invested billions in the transition to electric and hybrid vehicles in a bid to meet EU climate targets.
But progress has been slowed by lower than anticipated demand, with many consumers put off by higher upfront costs and still patchy charging infrastructure.
burs-sr/fz/gv

Israel

WHO sends first overland convoy from emergencies hub to Beirut

  • Last year, the Dubai logistics hub processed more than 500 emergency orders for 75 countries around the world.
  • The World Health Organization has sent a first overland convoy of medical equipment bound for Beirut from its global emergency logistics hub in Dubai, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday.
  • Last year, the Dubai logistics hub processed more than 500 emergency orders for 75 countries around the world.
The World Health Organization has sent a first overland convoy of medical equipment bound for Beirut from its global emergency logistics hub in Dubai, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday.
The UN health agency has dispatched 22 metric tonnes of "life-saving medicines and trauma and emergency supplies", Tedros said on X.
The supplies are enough to support treatment for 50,000 patients, including 40,000 surgical interventions, he said.
"This is the first land convoy dispatched through a multi-country land bridge from WHO's Global Logistics Hub in Dubai, which has established a new route to keep supplies moving amid growing logistics disruptions across the Middle East region," said Tedros.
The convoy is expected to reach Beirut within a week. 
Lebanon was pulled into the broader Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Israeli-US attacks.
Israel has responded with heavy strikes across Lebanon and ground incursions in the border area, killing more than 1,000 people according to Lebanese authorities.
Lebanon's health system is facing mounting pressure from rising needs, mass displacement, and critical shortages of medicines, supplies and fuel, said Tedros.
The WHO chief said more medical shipments were ready and would be sent soon to support the response in Lebanon.
Last year, the Dubai logistics hub processed more than 500 emergency orders for 75 countries around the world.
Operations were briefly suspended early in the Middle East war due to insecurity, airspace closures and restrictions affecting access to the Strait of Hormuz. The WHO then began looking at potential overland routes.
Tedros raised the plight of health workers in Lebanon, who "continue to operate under difficult conditions".
The WHO has recorded 63 attacks on health care targets in Lebanon since March 2, resulting in 51 deaths and 91 injuries.
Of those attacks, 28 impacted facilities, 23 impacted transport, 32 impacted supplies and 10 impacted warehouses.
Almost all involved the use of heavy weapons.
Though the WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency.
"WHO calls for the protection of healthcare and urges all parties to choose the life-saving path to peace," said Tedros.
rjm/gv

Women

From bats to bonds: Uganda's 'cricket grannies'

BY MARY KULUNDU

  • The so-called "cricket grannies" are bound together by a growing love of a game they initially knew nothing about but is now helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness.
  • Giggles and songs ripple across a field in rural eastern Uganda where elderly women swing cricket bats as a way to reshape what ageing, health and sports can look like in later life.
  • The so-called "cricket grannies" are bound together by a growing love of a game they initially knew nothing about but is now helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness.
Giggles and songs ripple across a field in rural eastern Uganda where elderly women swing cricket bats as a way to reshape what ageing, health and sports can look like in later life.
The so-called "cricket grannies" are bound together by a growing love of a game they initially knew nothing about but is now helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness.
Clad in floor-length dresses and mostly barefoot, the women, aged 50 to 90, gather weekly at a playground in Jinja district, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital, Kampala.
Each swing draws cheers from teammates as the women turn Saturday morning practice into a lively spectacle.
"With the exercises I've been doing, my legs used to hurt, but they no longer do," Jennifer Waibi Nanyonga, 72, told AFP.
"I spent the whole of last year without seeing a doctor for my back, yet it had previously been paining me," added the grandmother of 29.
The initiative began in 2025 with just 10 grandmothers in the remote village of Kivubuka and has since grown more than tenfold.
The programme was initially aimed at children, but when cricket coach Aaron Kusasira realised their caregivers had little knowledge of the game and often kept them from joining, he decided to involve the elderly women, too.
"We come here, we jog, we move around, we do some stretches," Kusasira, 26, said.
They "unknowingly have to run because they have to compete," he added. 
Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for deaths from noncommunicable diseases and, according the World Health Organization, it is more common among women globally.
International health data estimates that sedentary lifestyles are costing public health systems roughly US$27 billion per year, and will continue to rise if activity levels are not improved.

Fresh start

Beyond physical activity, cricket has also fostered a sense of community among the Ugandan grannies.
"When at home, you have no company and spend your time buried in your thoughts," said an elderly woman who only gave her first name, Patriciah.
For others, the weekly meetings have proved cathartic.
"When I arrive here and see my friends, we get together and talk about our problems, we counsel each other," said Jennifer Waibi Nanyonga.
"By the time we return home, everyone is lighter and with a fresh start," she added.
For coach Kusasira, training the women has been a win-win, giving him the opportunity to coach children in the area without opposition.
"From the kids to the elders, provided I see the smiles... it's enough. I know that is a day well spent," he said.
vid-mnk/er/giv/ceg/lga/sbk

obesity

India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs

BY ANUJ SRIVAS

  • The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide--the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy--expired Friday in India, the world's largest supplier of generic medicines.
  • A deluge of weight‑loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low‑cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday.
  • The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide--the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy--expired Friday in India, the world's largest supplier of generic medicines.
A deluge of weight‑loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low‑cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday.
The move will dramatically widen access to treatments that have long been considered a luxury, especially in middle-income countries, where soaring demand has collided with steep prices.
At clinics across Mumbai, doctors say they are already preparing for an influx in new patients.
More than 50 people walk into endocrinologist Nadeem Rais's office every week seeking weight-loss injections. 
"We have around 70 to 80 patients on active treatment right now," he told AFP. 
"When generics come out and prices drop, that could go up to 200 easily."
His colleague Sunera Ghai agrees saying that demand is "very high" but many "probably aren't taking it just because it is truly a luxury item at this point".
The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide--the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy--expired Friday in India, the world's largest supplier of generic medicines.
By the end of 2026, core patents on semaglutide will have expired in 10 countries that represent 48 percent of the global obesity burden, according to a study published earlier this month by researchers.
These include Brazil, China, South Africa, Turkey and Canada, the study said.

Launching soon

For India's drug giants, this marks the start of an aggressive new race. 
At least four major firms have already prepared generic semaglutide injections, regulatory filings and compliance documents viewed by AFP show.
Some, including Zydus Lifesciences, have announced "Day 1" launches, suggesting generic versions may become available as soon as this weekend in India. 
Research firm Pharmarack estimates the Indian market will soon be flooded with options.
"What we understand is, there will be more than 50 brands that will be launched in the market and there are more than 40 players who will be launching these drugs," Pharmarack's vice president Sheetal Sapale said.
The timing aligns with India's shifting health landscape.
While the country still accounts for a third of the world's undernutrition according to the World Health Organization (WHO), rising incomes and urban lifestyles have pushed obesity rates sharply upward.
Government data released March last year shows 24 percent of women and 23 percent of men are overweight or obese in India.  
"Once a person starts earning money, he becomes more sedentary here," says bariatric surgeon Sanjay Borude. 
"While in first-world countries, the more the money, they become more active and devote time for their health, this is reversed in India."
These flipped economics have worked well for big pharma players like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk who have been cashing in on the market.
India's weight‑loss drug sales have grown tenfold in five years to $153 million as of 2026, and are projected to soar to over half a billion by 2030. 
But using such drugs can cause side effects including nausea and gastrointestinal issues.

Breaking price barrier

Eli Lilly's Mounjaro became the country's top‑selling drug by value last year, surpassing even common antibiotics. 
Still, high prices -- often 15,000 to 22,000 rupees ($161–$236) a month -- limit access, says Swati Pradhan, who runs a weight-loss clinic in Mumbai. 
She expects patient numbers to rise once generics push treatment costs closer to 5,000 rupees ($60) a month.
The global impact may prove even more profound. 
India supplies more than half of Africa's generic medicines, and cheaper semaglutide could become a lifeline for countries where obesity is rising rapidly but treatment remains unaffordable. 
"Lower‑cost semaglutide could significantly expand access to effective treatment particularly in middle-income countries where price has been a major barrier," Simon Barquera, president of the World Obesity Federation, told AFP. 
"But medication alone will not reverse the global rise in obesity. Obesity is a complex, chronic disease," he said, noting the importance of prevention efforts and healthier environments.
Indian firms will be a key driving force, with Dr Reddy's Laboratories aiming to launch its version of semaglutide in Canada by May 2026.
For patients like 46‑year‑old Sukant Mangal, who lost nearly 30 pounds in eight months, wider access could not come soon enough. 
Many he knows simply abandoned treatment mid‑way when they realised they would have to spend 20,000 rupees ($214) a month for seven to eight months. 
"Had it been cheaper, (it) would've been much easier to have it."
asv/abh/lkd/ane/jm

students

What we know about the UK's deadly meningitis outbreak

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR

  • At least 27 cases were being probed as of Thursday, with 15 confirmed.
  • UK health authorities are probing 27 cases linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak believed to have spread at a nightclub in southeast England.
  • At least 27 cases were being probed as of Thursday, with 15 confirmed.
UK health authorities are probing 27 cases linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak believed to have spread at a nightclub in southeast England.
Here's everything we know about the disease and the outbreak:

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection causing the inflammation of the brain or spinal cord linings, which can lead to sepsis.
Bacterial meningitis, as seen in this outbreak, is rarer and deadlier than the viral type.
Initial symptoms of meningitis include headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck -- but those are symptoms of different illnesses and can hamper prompt diagnosis.
Another sign can be a rash, and the disease can progress rapidly.
"It is certainly not as infective as say flu or COVID-19, and requires often fairly prolonged close contact before transmission takes place," said Andrew Lee, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sheffield.
It can spread through close contact like kissing or the sharing of vapes or drinks.
More than two million people get meningitis worldwide each year,  according to a tracker by the Meningitis Research Foundation -- 80 percent of them in developing countries.
Outbreaks among university students have been particularly common in the West.

Where does the infection come from?

Meningococcal disease is a rare but serious illness caused by the meningococcal bacteria, which can result in meningitis.
It is usually spread by the people who carry the bacteria in the back of their throat or nose but don't develop any symptoms.
"Between 10-24 per cent of the population unknowingly carry this germ at the back of their throats usually without any harm," said Lee.
There are multiple strains of the bacteria. In this outbreak, at least nine of the confirmed cases are of group B meningococcal disease (MenB) -- the most common in the UK.
The epicentre of this outbreak is believed to be Club Chemistry in Canterbury, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. At least 10 of the confirmed cases went to the nightclub between March 5-7.

How big is the outbreak?

It has been described as "unprecedented" by Streeting.
At least 27 cases were being probed as of Thursday, with 15 confirmed. That figure has risen rapidly in the last week, with the first case reported on Friday, March 13.
There have also been two deaths.
"The risk of transmission and further cases is usually highest in the first week after contact with a case and the probability rapidly decreases afterwards," Lee said.
Many of those affected are University of Kent students. There have also been cases in four Kent schools and a London higher education institute.
The local authority was unable to confirm whether the outbreak had been contained as of Thursday.
- Why is it unprecedented? - 
Health experts point to the unusual speed and spread of the outbreak in a short timeframe.
In the UK, meningitis tends to occur in small clusters.
"In my 35 years working in medicine, in healthcare and hospitals, this is the most cases I've seen in a single weekend with this type of infection," UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) head Susan Hopkins said.
"This looks like a superspreader event, with ongoing spread within the halls of residence in the universities," Hopkins added.
The UKHSA was alerted to the first case on March 13, and began tracing contacts. France informed UK authorities on March 14 of a case of a person who had been at the university and was hospitalised in France.
Samples collected from patients are being analysed in the laboratory, which could give a better picture about the strain and why the infection has been more invasive.

What has the official response been?

Health authorities are racing to identify close contacts of those who were ill, and have set up multiple health clinics in Canterbury distributing antibiotics.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged anyone at the nightclub on the weekend of the outbreak to seek antibiotics to help halt the spread of the disease.
For the general UK public, "the overall risk remains very low," said Zina Alfahl from the University of Galway's School of Medicine.
Bacterial meningitis usually needs to be treated in the hospital.
It can be prevented through vaccines. The University of Kent has rolled out a targeted vaccination programme to provide 5,000 jabs to students on campus.
While vaccines against some meningitis strains are administered routinely to children in the UK, the shot against MenB has only been part of the immunisation schedule since 2015 -- when the UK became the first country in the world to add the jab to its programme.
As people rush to buy vaccines in response to the outbreak, health minister Streeting said it was "not necessary".
burs-aks/jkb/pdw

students

UK meningitis outbreak cases rise to 27: official

  • The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 27, authorities confirmed on Thursday, amid fears the disease could spread as students head home for the Easter vacation.
  • The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 27, health officials said Thursday, following an unprecedented deadly outbreak centred on a university.
  • The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 27, authorities confirmed on Thursday, amid fears the disease could spread as students head home for the Easter vacation.
The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 27, health officials said Thursday, following an unprecedented deadly outbreak centred on a university.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement: "15 laboratory cases are confirmed and 12 notifications remain under investigation, bringing the total to 27". 
Two people have died since the epidemic came to light at the weekend, centred on the University of Kent in southeastern Canterbury and a local nightclub popular with students.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has led urgent calls for young people who visited the nightclub on the weekend of the outbreak to come forward, adding health experts were working to identify close contacts of those who were ill.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, he asked "anyone who attended Club Chemistry on March, 5, 6th or 7th to come forward, please, to receive antibiotics".
The university has rolled out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B -- a deadly bacterial strain -- for some 5,000 students. Hundreds of students queued at the campus on Wednesday to get the jab.
The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 27, authorities confirmed on Thursday, amid fears the disease could spread as students head home for the Easter vacation.
French authorities also reported one case involving a person in France, who had attended the University of Kent.
Cases have also been confirmed in students at four schools in Kent, as well as one student at a higher education institution in London, the UK health authorities said.
The two deaths in the outbreak have been identified as an 18-year-old schoolgirl and 21-year-old University of Kent student.
Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection which can lead to sepsis if it affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
It is most common in young children, teenagers and young adults.
Initial symptoms of meningitis include headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck -- but those are symptoms of different illnesses and can hamper prompt diagnosis.
It can progress rapidly, with another sign often being a rash, and is spread through prolonged close contact, including kissing or the sharing of vapes or drinks.
At least nine of the confirmed cases are of group B meningococcal disease, according to the UKHSA.
The bacterial strain is rarer and deadlier than the viral type.
Doctors nationwide have been told to prescribe antibiotics to anyone attending their surgeries who visited Club Chemistry between March 5-7 and to University of Kent students "if they have been asked to seek preventative treatment".
jkb/aks/ach 

students

'Happened so fast': UK students panicked by meningitis outbreak

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR WITH HELEN ROWE IN LONDON

  • At least 200 students formed a long queue at the grassy campus near the medieval Cathedral city of Canterbury, as the university rolled-out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B -- a deadly bacterial strain.
  • Hundreds of masked-up students queued Wednesday to get vaccinated at the UK university campus at the heart of a deadly meningitis outbreak, as the number of cases rose to 20.
  • At least 200 students formed a long queue at the grassy campus near the medieval Cathedral city of Canterbury, as the university rolled-out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B -- a deadly bacterial strain.
Hundreds of masked-up students queued Wednesday to get vaccinated at the UK university campus at the heart of a deadly meningitis outbreak, as the number of cases rose to 20.
"It's quite a concerning thing. It all happened so fast," said Jack Jordan, a 19-year-old student at the University of Kent in southeast England, where the first case was reported on Friday.
By the weekend, one university student and one schoolgirl had died of the infection, with several others seriously ill in hospital in the outbreak, linked to a local nightclub.
At least 200 students formed a long queue at the grassy campus near the medieval Cathedral city of Canterbury, as the university rolled-out a targeted vaccination programme for meningitis B -- a deadly bacterial strain.
Holly Francis, 18, returned to get the jab after moving back home earlier in the week. "Just to be extra safe," she told AFP.
"It kind of came out of nowhere," Francis said. "Everyone was very panicked and worried."
"We got here right away," after being notified about the vaccines, said Irene, 21, adding she had been "isolating" out of caution.
The rest of the campus remained largely empty after exams were cancelled or moved online.
Scattered conversations focused on the disease -- which affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer led urgent calls for young people who visited the Canterbury nightclub to come forward, adding health experts were working to identify close contacts of those who were ill.
He asked "anyone who attended Club Chemistry on March, 5, 6th or 7th to come forward, please, to receive antibiotics".

'Deja vu'

The National Health Service (NHS) confirmed that at least 10 of the young people with the illness were at the club on those dates.
The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 20, with Health Minister Wes Streeting calling the outbreak "unprecedented."
One involved a patient who had been living in Kent, but who was taken ill in London, amid fears the disease could spread as students head home for the Easter vacation.
French authorities also reported one case involving a person in France, who had attended the University of Kent.
Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection, most common in young children, teenagers and young adults.
Initial symptoms of meningitis include headache, fever, drowsiness and a stiff neck -- but those signs can be vague, hampering prompt diagnosis.
It can progress rapidly and is spread through prolonged close contact, including kissing or the sharing of vapes or drinks.
"Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion where a young person aged 16 to 30 attends with consistent signs or symptoms," the NHS said in its guidance on the outbreak.
It added that illness in the cases linked to the outbreak "has been severe with rapid deterioration".
Glenn Reeve, 27, who went to Club Chemistry on the weekend of the outbreak, said he had been "feeling a bit rough" as he collected antibiotics.
"I felt a little panicky," Reeve told AFP, adding he would be cautious about "sharing drinks and being too close to people".
"It's almost like deja vu from Covid," said the train worker, adding being able to access antibiotics was "reassuring".
"As of 5:00 pm on 17 March, nine laboratory cases are confirmed and 11 notifications remain under investigation," bringing the total to 20, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement.

'Halt the spread'

Six of the confirmed cases are of group B meningococcal disease, according to the UKHSA.
The bacterial strain is rarer and deadlier than the viral type.
Doctors nationwide have been told to prescribe antibiotics to anyone attending their surgeries who visited Club Chemistry between March 5-7 and to University of Kent students "if they have been asked to seek preventative treatment".
The UKHSA said it was also investigating the case of a baby with confirmed meningococcal group B infection, but who was apparently not linked to the outbreak.
The baby girl is reportedly in hospital in nearby Folkestone.
Children in Britain are usually routinely vaccinated against meningitis B with three doses given at eight and 12 weeks and one year.
Another vaccination targeting meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y is offered to children aged 14.
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vaccines

Vaccines facing misinformation spike: WHO experts

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • "Emerging challenges for the future include uncertain funding for vaccine research and development, and misinformation and distorted information that erodes public trust in vaccines," said SAGE. "Protecting trust and countering misinformation will be a central focus in 2026."
  • Vaccine programmes are being challenged by rising misinformation and an uncertain pipeline for research funding, the World Health Organization's immunisation experts said Wednesday.
  • "Emerging challenges for the future include uncertain funding for vaccine research and development, and misinformation and distorted information that erodes public trust in vaccines," said SAGE. "Protecting trust and countering misinformation will be a central focus in 2026."
Vaccine programmes are being challenged by rising misinformation and an uncertain pipeline for research funding, the World Health Organization's immunisation experts said Wednesday.
And the war in the Middle East will likely hamper the fight against polio, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) said.
The group held its biannual meeting last week, focusing on Covid-19 jab recommendations, typhoid vaccine dosing schedules and oral polio vaccine doses in routine immunisation.
"Emerging challenges for the future include uncertain funding for vaccine research and development, and misinformation and distorted information that erodes public trust in vaccines," said SAGE.
"Protecting trust and countering misinformation will be a central focus in 2026."
WHO vaccines chief Kate O'Brien said resources would be targeted this year on protecting the roll-out of core immunisation programmes.
"We're in a really deeply changing world for infectious diseases and for vaccine programmes," she said, due to conflicts, economic challenges and health budgets being cut.
Trust in vaccines is being "threatened by misinformation", she told a press conference.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the US health chief, has long voiced anti-vaccine rhetoric and inaccurate claims connecting vaccines and autism.
A WHO review of all available evidence issued in December reaffirmed there is no link between vaccines and autism -- contrary to the theories being propagated in the United States and beyond.
"Vaccines do not cause autism and they never have caused autism," stressed O'Brien.
She said vaccines had saved 154 million lives over the past 50 years, and more than 30 diseases could be prevented through immunisation.
"The risk is about backsliding, or even countries deciding that they can't afford all of the vaccines that are in their programme," she said.

Crisis and response cycle

The group voiced concern over the ongoing transmission of wild poliovirus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the persistent detection of vaccine-derived type-2 poliovirus in several African countries, a strain related to the weakened live  poliovirus contained in oral polio vaccines.
"The conflict in the Middle East may well lead to further dissemination of polioviruses, which would then add to the burden to be mopped up in order to reach that eradication goal," SAGE chair Anthony Scott told reporters.
O'Brien added: "There are billions and billions of dollars being spent, day in and day out to destroy lives through wars.
"Does the world have its priorities straight about what we're investing in?"
As for Covid jabs, SAGE said countries should consider routine vaccination twice a year for groups at the highest risk of severe disease, because of the dwindling protection levels beyond six months.
O'Brien said the Covid-19 vaccine market had contracted down to a limited number of manufacturers and types, with mRNA vaccines remaining the dominant form.
She called for more investment, with one priority being to develop pan-coronavirus vaccines that tackle more than just Covid-19, and longer-lasting injections to reduce the repeat jabs burden on health services and the elderly.
But research and development funding tends to follow major outbreaks, meaning "we are always in this cycle of crisis and response", she said.
SAGE executive secretary Annelies Wilder-Smith said "we really need" Covid vaccines that have bigger impact on mild disease and reducing transmission of the virus.
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