A student at the University of Kent who survived a meningitis infection has told of her pain and fear when she lost the ability to see, something which “really scared” her family. Annabelle Mackay, 21, said she feels grateful to be alive after she was rushed to hospital with an infection which caused her “so much pain”.

Ms Mackay said she believed she may have contracted meningitis while on a night out at Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, or at a different venue the evening before. The law student said she initially thought she was suffering from Covid-19 symptoms and took a test, which came back negative. Ms Mackay said: “Then I started to be quite delirious, and I wasn’t really making any sense and I was also really sensitive to light, so then that’s when I thought something was really, really wrong.”

Confusion and an aversion to bright lights are among the symptoms of meningitis.

Other symptoms of meningitis and sepsis can include a high temperature, cold hands and feet, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, pale, mottled or blotchy skin, spots or a rash, a headache, a stiff neck, being very sleepy and seizures.

Ms Mackay said she lost the ability to talk and does not remember being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

She told the BBC: “I was still in quite a state of delirium, and at that time I lost my sight as well, which was really scary, especially for my friends and family.

“I wasn’t paying as much attention to it because I was just in so much pain in my body that I didn’t have time to process that I couldn’t see, but it was definitely really scary for my family and my friends.”

She added: “I feel so grateful to be alive and be here. I’m still dealing with the after-effects now, but I think I just need to focus on my recovery and getting better and back to myself.”

More than 100 students queuing for meningitis vaccines at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury were turned away on Friday, as Kent County Council’s director of public health Anjan Ghosh said “sporadic” household clusters could appear in other parts of the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said earlier on Friday the number of cases linked to the outbreak has reached 29, up from 27.

Some 18 cases have been confirmed, alongside a further 11 “probable cases” – all with links to Kent, the UKHSA said.