New Delhi, March 19 -- A deadly outbreak of meningococcal disease has swept through the student population of Canterbury, Kent, killing two young people and leaving health authorities grappling with what officials have described as a public health emergency of unusual speed and scale. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an urgent national alert - a measure deployed only in the most serious circumstances - as a mass vaccination programme targeting roughly 5,000 students gets under way at the University of Kent.

The outbreak is believed to have originated at Club Chemistry, a Canterbury nightclub popular with university students, following events held between 5 and 7 March. General practitioners across England have been instru...