A meningitis outbreak in Berkshire causes panic in three schools
There have been reports that two schools in Berkshire have been linked to a meningitis outbreak that caused the death of a student at Henley College. The UK Health Security Agency revealed that the students undergoing treatment go to Reading Blue Coat School, Haydown High School and the Sixth Form Centre.According to reports by The Guardian, there have been developments about how health officials, schools and health experts responded to the confirmation of a meningitis outbreak and the death of a Henley College student.On Thursday, the British Health Security Agency confirmed the news of the death of a student from Henley College from the disease. It is important to note that the Berkshire strain is different from the meningitis B strain that caused a recent meningitis outbreak in Kent.Dr Rachel Merkel addressed the growing concern among parents, pupils and staff. She said: “We understand that many people will be affected by this sad news and we would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of this student.“It is natural for students and staff to be concerned about the potential for more cases; however, meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact for it to spread, and large outbreaks of the disease, as we have seen in Kent recently, are fortunately rare.
“We are working closely with partners and have provided public health advice and precautionary antibiotic treatment for close contacts of cases. Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and the risk to the general public remains low.”Officials said the disease spreads through close and frequent contact. Between 300 and 400 patients are diagnosed with the disease each year in England. The groups most at risk are children, adolescents, youth and younger children.
Symptoms usually include fever, headache, nausea, drowsiness, chills, shortness of breath, and cold extremities.A meningitis outbreak occurred in Kent in March, resulting in two deaths and sending more than a dozen patients to hospitals. In light of this, public health officials acted quickly following the outbreak in Berkshire.Henley College issued a statement following the student’s death. College representatives 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 provided by the UK Health Security Agency.” The statement added: “Out of respect for the family, we will not provide further details at this time.”
“According to Professor Andrew Preston from the University of Bath, the epidemic was characteristic of what is usually found among young people and university students. “This latest outbreak has once again occurred in the college-age population, much like the Kent outbreak,” he said.“All current cases appear to be confined to a well-defined social contact group, enabling rapid contact tracing and administration of antibiotics and vaccination if deemed necessary as a precaution.“At present, there is no indication of transmission to the wider community, although this may raise widespread concern in the area.”The MenB vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule for children by the National Health Service in 2015. Health authorities have continued to urge parents to be alert to any symptoms their children develop and to cooperate with the authorities in all necessary precautions.
