A father has paid tribute to his ‘kind-hearted’ son who died after a meningitis outbreak in Reading. Lewis Waters, a 17-year-old student at Henley College in Oxfordshire, passed away after falling ill on Tuesday morning and rapidly developing sepsis.
Father’s Tribute
Simon Waters, his father, expressed the family’s devastation at the sudden loss, describing Lewis as a kind-hearted young man. ‘Life won’t be the same now he’s gone,’ he said.
Outbreak Details
Two other students, from Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School, are also being treated for meningitis. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has offered antibiotics to close contacts. The UKHSA confirmed that the infection is not the same strain of meningitis B linked to a fatal outbreak in Kent earlier this year.
Calls for Vaccination Programme
Liberal Democrat MP Freddie van Mierlo and the National Union of Students have called on the Government to implement a wider catch-up vaccination programme for young adults against meningitis B. They argue that such a programme could prevent further tragedies.
