Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Berkshire Schools After Student Death

There have been reports that two Berkshire schools have been linked to an outbreak of meningitis that caused the death of one student at Henley College. The students who are undergoing treatment are attending Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre, the UK Health Security Agency revealed. According to reports in The Guardian, there were developments on how health officials, schools, and health experts reacted upon confirmation of the meningitis outbreak and the death of a student from Henley College. On Thursday, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed the news that a student from Henley College succumbed to the disease. It is important to note that the Berkshire strain is different from the meningitis B strain that triggered the recent meningitis outbreak in Kent. Dr Rachel Mearkle addressed growing concern among parents, pupils, and staff. She said, "We understand that many people will be affected by this sad news and would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family of this student. “Students and staff will naturally be feeling worried about the likelihood of further cases; however, meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread, and large outbreaks, as we saw in Kent recently, are thankfully rare. “We are working closely with partners and have provided public health advice and precautionary antibiotic treatment to close contacts of the cases. Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and the risk to the wider public remains low.” The officials said the disease is spread through close and sustained contact. Every year, about 300 to 400 patients are diagnosed with the disease in England. The most vulnerable groups are babies, adolescents, young adults, and younger children. The symptoms usually involve fever, headaches, nausea, drowsiness, chills, shortness of breath, and cold limbs. A meningitis outbreak occurred in Kent in March, leading to two fatalities and sending over a dozen patients to hospitals. In light of this, the public health officials acted swiftly in the wake of the disease outbreak in Berkshire. Henley College released a statement following the student’s death. College representatives said: “Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the student’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. We are supporting those affected within our college community and are following the advice and guidance given by the UK Health Security Agency.” The statement added: “Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing further detail at this time. ” As per Professor Andrew Preston of the University of Bath, the epidemic was characteristic of that usually found among young adults and college students. He said, “This latest outbreak again has emerged in the college-age cohort, like the Kent outbreak. “All current cases appear contained to a well-defined social contact group, which enables rapid contact tracing and the administration of antibiotics and vaccination if deemed a necessary precaution. “At the moment, there is no indication of transmission to the wider community, although, understandably, this will have caused wide concern in the area.” The MenB vaccine had been added to the routine immunisation schedule for children by the National Health Service in the year 2015. The health authorities have continued to urge the parents to be wary of any symptoms developing among their children and cooperate with the authorities in all necessary precautions.