Meningitis Outbreak in Berkshire Linked to Schools and College

Two schools attended by pupils receiving treatment for meningitis have been named amid an outbreak of the infection in Berkshire which has caused the death of a student.

The patients attend Reading Blue Coat school and Highdown secondary school and sixth form centre, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Their close contacts have been offered antibiotics as a precaution.

The agency confirmed on Thursday that a student who attended Henley college, in Oxfordshire, had died from the infection.

Dr Rachel Mearkle, a consultant in health protection, 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.”

A major outbreak in Kent in March killed two people and left more than a dozen in need of hospital treatment.

The strain of meningitis B in Berkshire has been confirmed to be different to the one that spread in Kent.

Between 300 and 400 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed in England every year, being most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults. Signs and symptoms include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet.

A statement from Henley college, the school attended by the student who had died, 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.” It added: “Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing further detail at this time.”

The menB vaccine has been offered routinely to babies as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme since 2015.

Andrew Preston, a professor of microbial pathogenicity at the University of Bath, 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.”