Reading meningitis outbreak: Everything we know so far

 <i>(Image: NQ)</i>
(Image: NQ)
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Three meningitis cases were found among young people in the Reading area last week, with one fatality.

Here is everything we know about the situation so far.

On Thursday, May 14, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that one young person had sadly died from a meningococcal infection (meningitis), while two more young people were receiving treatment.

It was later confirmed that the young person who had passed away was Lewis Waters, a sixth-form student at Henley College in Oxfordshire.

His father has described the family's "heartbreak" after losing Lewis, who was a "funny, sociable and kind hearted soul".

On Friday, May 15, the UKHSA confirmed that the two young people still receiving treatment for meningitis were pupils from Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School & Sixth Form Centre.

Close contacts of the three cases have been offered antibiotics as a precaution, the UKHSA said, while information on the symptoms of meningitis infection have been passed to students and parents at all affected schools.

The Agency said the overall risk to the public remained "low".

The University of Reading reassured students and staff late on May 14 that no meningitis cases had been reported among their students.

The university said they planned to contact students with safety advice.

Reading Borough Council's Director of Public Health, Matthew Pearce, offered the council's "deepest sympathies" to Lews Waters' family.

Pearce said the council was "working closely" with UKHSA and NHS partners and reassured residents that "the risk to the wider public remains low" as "meningitis B does not spread easily".

At least one of the Reading cases has been confirmed as meningitis B, although it is not exactly the same strain as the Kent outbreak earlier this year.

Health officials have stressed the importance of quickly seeking medical attention if you experience symptoms of meningitis.

Symptoms 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.

The UKHSA also advised young people should check to make sure their vaccinations are up to date.

While meningitis B vaccines are routinely offered to babies by the NHS, most people over the age of two who want the meningitis B vaccine will have to pay for it through private clinics and pharmacies.

The NHS meningitis B vaccine programme for babies was also only introduced in 2015, meaning people born earlier may not have had it.

The NHS does offer teenagers (and anyone up to the age of 25 if they missed it at school) the meningitis ACWY vaccine, which protects against four other strains of meningitis.

The day after the Reading meningitis cases were announced, pharmacies in Reading town centre told the Chronicle they have already seen a spike in the number of people calling in to book appointments for meningitis vaccines.

Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, said she was "aware of the localised meningitis outbreak in Reading" and offered her "thoughts and condolences" to the Waters family.

MP Yang also noted the risk to the public is low: "Meningitis is spread by prolonged close contact, therefore the risk to the general public remains very low.

“Anyone who has not been contacted by the UKHSA does not require any treatment and should continue to be vigilant of the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease. These are listed on the NHS website."

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