Meningitis outbreak: Number of cases falls for first time

The number of confirmed and suspected meningitis cases in the outbreak in Kent has fallen to 29.

The total marks a decrease from 34 cases reported on Saturday, and includes two - a 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham - who died from the virus last weekend. It includes confirmed cases and those that remain under investigation.

Read more: The symptoms, treatments and if you need the vaccine Explaining the fall in the total, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said: "Some cases initially classified as confirmed cases have been reclassified following further laboratory results and clinical investigation. "As further laboratory assessments are completing, we expect some further probable cases to be downgraded in the coming days." The latest figures include 20 "confirmed" laboratory cases, and nine which remain under investigation.

In a statement marking seven days since the first confirmed case of meningitis in Kent, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that it had been an "incredibly difficult week for those affected and for those working on the front line.