One student dies and two fall ill after meningitis cases in Reading

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]A college student has died after meningitis cases emerged in Reading, >> [music] >> whilst two others are currently receiving treatment, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The person who died was a student at Henley College in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The agency said close contacts of those affected were being offered antibiotics as a precaution, and information was being shared with students and parents at [music] affected schools. One case has been confirmed as meningitis B, known as Men B, >> [music] >> whilst further test results are currently awaited. Officials said the risk to the wider public remains [music] low. Two months ago, an outbreak of Men B in Kent linked to a nightclub [music] in Canterbury led to two deaths, and in April three young people [music] in Dorset contracted meningitis. The Hart Surgery, a GP practice in Henley-on-Thames, [music] said the UKHSA was actively contacting those who may be at risk due to a close association with [music] the student involved.