A mother has spoken of her fears for the life of her teenage daughter as she lies in isolation in hospital after contracting meningitis.
Casey Marlow, 19, had attended the Spring Fling night at Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 6.
Two people have since died from the deadly outbreak linked to the nightclub which has announced it will close its doors for the rest of the week.
Casey’s distraught mother Emma Marlow, told how Casey’s condition suddenly deteriorated days after celebrating a friend’s birthday.
The custody detention officer, from Ashford in Kent, said: ‘Casey went to the nightclub on Friday 6 March and a few days later said she had a sore throat, but at first we didn’t think anything of it.
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‘Then on Saturday she pulled up outside my house and called me said she felt awful, she had a raging temperature, a stiff neck and a terrible headache.
‘She looked really pale and we just went to the hospital where she has been ever since. She’s in isolation but she’s getting a bit of color back and is getting a lot of mummy care.’
Luckily Casey, should make a full recovery with antibiotics.
She said: ‘We just hope they all pull through. It’s awful for those who have lost children.
‘I would just say to people be aware and even if you aren’t sure just get yourself checked out if you live in the area and don’t feel well.
‘Casey was lucky, she was with her boyfriend in the car, and they drove straight to the hospital where she was immediately seen to. She was put on antibiotics and had a lumbar puncture and had been looking really pale but she’s got some color back now.
‘Before she went in she said she had been feeling rough, but we just didn’t think it was something as awful as meningitis, you never do.
‘Just before she called to say she didn’t feel well she said she had been on a walk and her legs ached, the symptoms are so similar to other illnesses that you just don’t think it could be something as serious as meningitis.
‘I would just say to anyone who has been in the Canterbury area to be aware and if they don’t feel well get themselves checked out.
‘I’m just going to stay with her and make sure she gets better as quickly as possible, bless her but she’s still feeling weak and exhausted.’
Mrs Marlow added: ‘I’ve had the UK Health Security Agency on, and they wanted to know who else Casey was with that night so they could be traced and checked.
‘They have been helpful and have been sending me lots of information but what I’m worried about is that if this was known about why there were no warnings, if I had known I wouldn’t have let her go to Canterbury that night.’
A sixth form student who died of an ‘invasive’ strain of meningitis was named by her tearful headteacher on Monday.
Juliette, a Year 13 pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham, was a ‘much-loved’ student of seven years.
School headmistress Amelia McIlroy said this morning: ‘She was incredibly kind, thoughtful and intelligent and she loved our school. She was really very happy here.
‘Juliette embraced everything that school had to offer, with great enthusiasm and joy and her humor and her positivity were captivating. In short, she was a lovely girl.
‘Her beautiful smile, her loving nature and her sense of fun will be hugely missed.’
Juliette was the second reported victim of the outbreak that erupted last week, the other a University of Kent student.
A further 11 students from the Canterbury area are seriously ill in hospital, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
The specific strain has not yet been identified.
University students have been told the outbreak started at a Fresher’s event at Club Chemistry on March 6, which was also attended by sixth formers.
Club Chemistry said in a Facebook post on Monday afternoon: ‘We’ve made the decision to close the venue for the rest of this week.
‘While we haven’t been directed to do so, the safety and wellbeing of our community, our guests and our staff comes first – always.
‘We know this news may be worrying and we are working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
‘We will share updates as soon as we have them.’
Club Chemistry owner Louise Jones-Roberts said earlier on Monday that the venue had been contacted by the UKHSA to try to trace people who may be affected.
What is meginititis?
The illness is caused by infection with a bacterium called Neisseria meningitidis, which inflames the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
While it is common among babies, young children, teens and young adults, it can infect anyone of any age, Caroline Hughes, support services manager at Meningitis Research Foundation, told Metro.
Symptoms include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, aches and pains, rapid breathing and, over time, a purple rash.
‘In the early stages it can be mistaken for a hangover, freshers’ flu or other mild illnesses, but it can become life-threatening within hours,’ Hughes said.
Symptoms can intensify in only a few hours – the bacteria can invade the bloodstream and cause sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that causes clammy skin, pain and chills.
As a bacterial infection, meningitis can be spread through sneezing, coughing or sharing utensils.
Up to one in every 10 cases of bacterial meningitis is fatal, sometimes in as little as 24 hours after diagnosis.
Childhood coverage of the MenB vaccine – which protects against meningitis – was 89.1% in 2025, according to the agency.
The jab is given to children when they’re eight weeks, 12 weeks and one year old, but uptake has been decreasing nationwide for years.
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