Schools Affected by Meningitis Outbreak Named
Students from Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre are currently receiving treatment following an outbreak of meningitis in Berkshire, which has tragically resulted in the death of a student.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that pupils from these two schools are among those affected. Close contacts of the patients have been offered antibiotics as a precautionary measure.
The agency provided confirmation on Thursday regarding the situation. Dr Rachel Mearkle, a consultant in health protection, expressed condolences and addressed public concerns.
“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.”
Comparison with Previous Outbreaks
A significant outbreak in Kent earlier this year in March resulted in two fatalities and more than a dozen individuals requiring hospital treatment. The strain of meningitis B identified in Berkshire has been confirmed as different from the strain involved in the Kent outbreak.
Incidence and Symptoms of Meningococcal Disease
Annually, between 300 and 400 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed in the UK. The infection is most prevalent among babies, young children, teenagers, and young adults. Symptoms include fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting, and cold extremities.
Response from Henley College
Henley College, where the deceased student was enrolled, issued a statement expressing condolences and outlining their response.
“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.”
Vaccination and Expert Commentary
The meningitis B (MenB) vaccine has been routinely offered to babies as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme since 2015.
Andrew Preston, a professor of microbial pathogenicity at the University of Bath, provided expert insight into the current outbreak.
“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.”
