Meningitis cases in Reading are pupils at two schools, UKHSA says
Summary
Two pupils at different schools in Reading, UK, have been diagnosed with meningitis and are receiving treatment. A connected social network also includes a sixth-form student from Henley College who recently died from the disease, leading health officials to offer antibiotics to close contacts as a precaution.Key Facts
- Two meningitis cases in Reading involve students from Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School.
- A sixth-form student at Henley College in Oxfordshire died earlier this week from meningitis.
- The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found a social connection between the three young people affected.
- Close contacts of all three students are being given antibiotics to prevent infection.
- One confirmed case is caused by meningitis type B (MenB), different from recent outbreaks in Kent and Dorset.
- Symptoms of meningitis include sudden fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash that does not fade when pressed, and confusion.
- Around 300 to 400 cases of meningococcal disease happen yearly in England, mostly in young people.
- UKHSA recommends young people ensure vaccinations like MenACWY are up to date; this vaccine does not protect against all meningitis strains.
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