Meningitis Outbreak in Reading: One Dead, Two Ill, Antibiotics Offered
Meningitis Outbreak in Reading: One Dead, Two Ill, Antibiotics Offered
Health officials confirm a meningitis outbreak in Reading, Berkshire, with one death and two more ill; close contacts are being offered antibiotics.
A young person has died and two others are being treated after a meningitis outbreak in Berkshire, health officials have said. The cases are linked to Reading-area schools, with a student at Henley College in Oxfordshire among those affected. The UK Health Security Agency confirmed new cases in Reading on Thursday and said the deceased student had been identified in the area. “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,” said Dr Rachel Mearkle, a consultant in health protection. “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.”
