The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified the schools attended by two pupils receiving treatment for meningitis in Reading, following the tragic death of a college student. The patients are students at Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.
Details of the Outbreak
The agency confirmed that the deceased student was from Henley College in Oxfordshire. Close contacts of all cases have been offered antibiotics as a precautionary measure. Importantly, tests indicate that this infection is not the same strain as the meningitis B linked to a fatal outbreak in Kent earlier this year.
Dr. Rachel Mearkle, consultant in health protection, expressed condolences and sought to reassure the public: “We understand that many people will be affected by this sad news. Meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread, and large outbreaks are thankfully rare. The risk to the wider public remains low.”
Symptoms and Advice
The UKHSA has shared information with parents and students at all affected schools about meningitis symptoms, which can include 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. Dr. Mearkle emphasised that anyone can contract meningitis, with 300 to 400 cases diagnosed annually in England, particularly among babies, young children, teenagers, and young adults. She urged prompt medical attention if symptoms appear.
Henley College issued a statement offering condolences and confirming they are supporting affected individuals while following UKHSA guidance. Alex Stanley, vice president of the National Union of Students, called for the meningitis B vaccine to be offered to all young people on the NHS, noting that the vaccine is currently only routinely given to babies born after 2015.
Professor Andrew Preston from the University of Bath commented that this outbreak, like the one in Kent, has emerged in the college age cohort but appears contained to a defined social contact group, with no indication of wider community transmission.
