Fourth case of meningitis confirmed as a Reading junior school pupil

There has been a fourth case of meningitis in Reading, with a junior school pupil in the area “recovering well” from the illness, health officials said.

The patient has “links with the same wider social network” as the other cases in the outbreak, which has left one college student dead. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said all four cases have been confirmed as meningitis B.

The fourth case was confirmed in a pupil who attends Westwood Farm Junior School.

The UKHSA said information has been shared with parents and carers on the signs and symptoms of menB.

Dr. Rachel Mearkle, consultant in health protection, said: “A fourth case of meningococcal disease has been confirmed in Reading.

“This fourth case has links with the same wider social network as the other cases, where measures, including antibiotic prophylaxis, have already been implemented.

“The individual, who attends Westwood Farm Junior School, is recovering well.

“Information has been shared with parents and carers at the school to advise of the signs and symptoms to look out for. All four cases have been confirmed to be meningitis B.

“The risk to the wider public remains low and this case is not linked to the incidents in Kent or Dorset.”

Lewis Waters, who attended Henley College in Oxfordshire, was one of the four cases of menB in the area.

He died last week, with a social media post from his father, Sean Waters, saying he had developed sepsis “within a few hours of feeling ill”.

The other two cases being treated are pupils at separate schools – Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.

On Friday, the UKHSA confirmed tests showed the infection was not the same strain of meningitis B linked to Kent.

The fatal outbreak in March led to the deaths of two people and resulted in thousands being given the menB jab or antibiotics in a bid to curb the spread.