A student has died and two other young people are being treated following an outbreak of meningitis in Reading. One of the cases has been confirmed as meningitis B (MenB), though it is understood to be a different strain from the one linked to fatal cases in Kent earlier this year.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed it is working with local authorities and NHS partners after three cases of meningococcal infection in young people in Reading. Close contacts are being offered antibiotics as a precaution, and the agency stressed that the risk to the wider public remains low.
The deceased student was reportedly a pupil at Henley College in Oxfordshire, according to a local GP surgery. The other two cases are linked to schools in the Reading area. Henley College, a sixth-form college with over 2,000 students, has advised staff and students to attend as usual unless contacted by UKHSA.
Dr Rachel Mearkle, consultant in health protection, expressed condolences and noted that meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread, making large outbreaks rare. She added that precautionary antibiotic treatment has been offered to close contacts.
Meningitis Now's chief executive Dr Tom Nutt urged vigilance, highlighting symptoms such as 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. He emphasised that teenagers and young adults are among the most at-risk groups.
