Health officials in England were not notified about a suspected meningitis patient for two days, slowing contact tracing and delaying a public warning about a growing outbreak in Kent.
The patient first arrived at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate on the evening of Wednesday 11 March, sources say.
The hospital reported the case to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on the afternoon of Friday 13 March, and a public alert did not go out until the evening of Sunday 15 March.
East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has admitted it missed an opportunity to inform UKHSA sooner, explaining that staff waited for a confirmed laboratory result before making the referral.
The trust’s acting chief executive acknowledged the patient presented earlier and said the organisation has been working with UKHSA since the referral.
Under the Health Protection Regulations 2010, invasive meningitis must be reported as soon as it is suspected — hospitals are not expected to wait for test confirmation.
UKHSA has said an earlier notification would have allowed faster investigation and offered preventive antibiotics to close contacts.
As of Monday, UKHSA figures show 23 suspected or probable cases, all among teenagers and young adults.
Two people have died and four were in intensive care.
Ten individuals developed symptoms in the period between the first admission and the public alert, according to the agency.
Infectious disease specialists criticised the reporting gap, saying prompt notification is crucial to find close contacts, give prophylactic treatment and encourage anyone developing symptoms to seek urgent care.
Early treatment reduces the risk of death and serious long-term harm such as limb loss, blindness or brain injury.
The BBC understands the first patient was a 21-year-old student at the University of Kent, who has said she was treated for meningitis on arrival and was surprised her case was not reported immediately.
UKHSA also said it was not informed about additional suspected cases until Saturday evening, despite more patients attending East Kent services on Friday.
The agency said it is unclear what effect those delays had on recognising the cluster.
Once the scale of seriously ill patients became apparent, health authorities launched a large-scale public health response.
On Sunday morning internal alerts were sent across Kent and Medway so NHS 111, local A&E departments and GPs could be on heightened alert.
UKHSA added that no confirmed cases have so far been linked to the initial patient.
The episode has raised calls for clearer adherence to notification rules to ensure faster action in future outbreaks.
