A charity chief has urged the Government to roll out the meningitis vaccine for all teenagers and young adults, after the death of another student from a new outbreak. Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said the charity has long believed that the vaccine should be given to all teenagers and young adults, adding: 'Prevention is the right way to go'.
His comments come after it emerged on Friday that college student Lewis Waters had died after contracting the disease. Mr Waters was one of three cases reported in the latest outbreak, including two school pupils in Reading.
Dr Nutt said the charity launched a campaign in April 2024 entitled No Plan B for MenB to try to raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine. He said: 'It's a devastating disease, and it takes precious young lives away. Teenagers and young adults are the second most at-risk group of meningitis in the population, after babies. And for many years we've seen deaths and devastation in this age group, when students or sixth formers are killed by the disease or left with life-changing aftereffects.'
He explained that when the disease occurs with sepsis, meningitis can cause limb loss as well as sensory impairments and brain injury. Dr Nutt referred to the outbreaks in Kent and Reading, adding: 'It comes out of the blue, it's devastating for communities as well as those people and those families affected, and we think prevention is the right way to go, and there are vaccines that can help to prevent the disease.'
He said that while it is known that the vaccine to prevent menB works, it is expensive which he believes could be why it has not been rolled out further. He added: 'Giving this menB vaccination to teenage and young adults has, in the past, been judged to not be cost-effective, and it is because it is an expensive vaccine, and you know meningitis is a relatively rare disease. Our problem with that position is that we don't think when the Government, or when the JCVI rather, looks at that cost-effectiveness, it's really taking into account the whole cost.'
He added that those at the charity know just how 'devastating' the disease can be, adding that it has an 'economic effect on people as they have their lives disrupted'. 'It disrupts people's education, so you know it can affect people's whole lives,' he said. 'People have to become carers for loved ones, or it impacts their mental health, or their psychological health through bereavement.'
He said meningitis has a 'ripple effect' which then has an economic cost. Dr Nutt said that the Kent outbreak in March brought into focus how 'potentially vulnerable' young people are to the disease. He added: 'We have got a safe and we've got an effective vaccine – we just think it should be deployed now.'
Asked what advice he would give to young people, Dr Nutt said: 'Our advice is to be vigilant and to be aware of the risks of meningitis. So people don't need to panic. It is a relatively rare disease, but when it strikes, it strikes very rapidly, and it can strike with devastating consequences.' He said young people need to know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and when to call for medical help, adding that they should access all the vaccines available to them on the NHS.
In a social media post on Friday, Lewis' father Sean Waters paid tribute to his son and wrote: 'Words simply can't describe the heartbreak and upset we're going through.' He said Lewis developed sepsis 'within a few hours of feeling ill', adding: 'He fought hard and was really taken care of by the ICU team, but they just couldn't save him.' He said his son was 'funny, sociable and kind-hearted', and 'loved his sisters, friends and family dearly', adding: 'Life won't be the same for many of us now that he's gone.'
The youngster's death left his friends shocked - with his passing sending shockwaves through the village of Henley-on-Thames, Berkshire. Parents at Henley College received an email explaining the tragedy. One mother said: 'It's come as a total shock to my son and the students. They are so close-knit so it has affected them greatly. They are all in shock to be honest with you. How do you come to terms with this at such an age. It's awful.'
Two more college pupils are being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for meningitis following the outbreak. They attend the Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning, and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre in Emmer Green, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said today. Specialists from the agency confirmed close contacts of all cases are being offered antibiotics as a precautionary measure.
One case has been confirmed by experts as Meningitis B, but it is not the same strain as earlier outbreaks this year. In March, an outbreak of Meningitis B in Canterbury, Kent, resulted in two deaths and roughly 20 confirmed cases. The UKHSA said that pupils and parents at all affected schools are being offered information about the signs and symptoms. The agency also confirmed that tests show the infection is not the same strain of meningitis B linked to a fatal outbreak in Kent in March. It added that the risk to the wider public remains low.
Symptoms of meningitis can include a high temperature, severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, confusion, drowsiness, cold hands and feet, severe muscle pain and a rash that does not fade under pressure.
