cA fourth person has been diagnosed with meningitis B following an outbreak in Reading, the UKHSA has said.
The child is a student at Westwood Farm Junior School and is part of a group of four pupils who have contracted meningitis.
According to the UKHSA, the patient has “links with the same wider social network” as the other cases in the outbreak, which has left a 17 year old dead.
Dr Rachel Mearkle, a consultant in health protection at UKHSA, 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.”
She said the child was recovering well and information had been shared with parents and carers at the school to advise them of the signs and symptoms to look out for.
“The risk to the wider public remains low and this case is not linked to the incidents in Kent or Dorset,” she added.
According to the its website, Westwood Farm Junior School in Tilehurst, Reading caters for children between the ages of 7 and 11 years old.
Lewis Waters, one of the four cases of meningitis B in the area, died last week.
The 17 year old attended Henley College in Oxfordshire and fell ill last Tuesday. His father, Simon Waters, said that “within a few hours”, he had developed sepsis and died.
“Words simply can’t describe the heartbreak and upset we’re going through,” Mr Waters added.
A statement from the school said its “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 given by the UK Health Security Agency.”
Two pupils from Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre are also being treated.
Close contacts of the cases were offered antibiotics as a precaution, the UKHSA said.
The agency announced on Friday that the infection was not the same strain of meningitis B linked to the deadly outbreak in Kent in March, in which a university student and a year 13 pupil died.
In a statement last week, Alex Stanley, the vice president of the National Union of Students, said: “We are sadly once again seeing the fast-paced awfulness of meningitis B.
“We urge everyone in the surrounding areas to follow the advice of government health officials and to be acutely aware of the signs of illness.
“There should never be a cost barrier to lifesaving vaccines, and we need to see the Government offer the meningitis B vaccine to all young people on the NHS.”
While anyone can contract meningitis, it is more common in babies, children, teenagers and young adults.
Those with symptoms can experience a high temperature, headache, stiff neck, vomiting, confusion, and blotchy skin.
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