France has reported the first death caused by meningitis, shortly after the outbreak was declared in Great Britain.

An employee of the French nuclear fuel company Orano has died from meningitis, according to health authorities in Normandy. Although the case was reported on Thursday, the death was confirmed on Friday, and authorities emphasized that there is no obvious link to the meningitis outbreak in Great Britain. Approximately 50 people who may have had contact with the deceased employee have been identified and will receive preventive antibiotic treatment. The patient died at the hospital in Cherbourg, an important port for connections with Great Britain, where an outbreak of meningitis linked to a nightclub is recorded, with 29 cases and two deaths reported by Friday. Authorities in Great Britain have distributed antibiotics and vaccines to those who frequented the club between March 5 and 7. The French Ministry of Health confirmed that the patient's condition was stable before death and that no other cases have been reported.