Three cases were confirmed in the Reading area on Thursday evening, one of which was from a pupil at Henley College who has died.

In a statement on Friday morning, Henley College said: “The Henley College can confirm that one of its students sadly passed away earlier this week.

“Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the student’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

READ MORE: David Beckham makes history 23 years after leaving Manchester United

“We are supporting those affected within our college community and are following the advice and guidance given by the UK Health Security Agency.

“Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing further detail at this time.”

The school has not confirmed if it is open today but an eyewitness said it was open on Friday morning with students heading in.

Students queuing for antibiotics at the University of Kent in Canterbury (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo said on Friday morning: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the students affected.

“I’m also urging everyone in the area to re-familiarise themselves with the symptoms and signs of meningitis.”

Nearby Wheatley Pharmacy added: “Due to increased local interest around Meningitis B vaccination, we currently have Meningitis B vaccine in stock at Wheatley Pharmacy.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, the UKHSA said that its specialists were “working with local authority and NHS partners following three cases of meningococcal infection (meningitis) in young people in Reading”.

“Dear patients. We have been in contact with the UK Health Security Agency this morning (14th May) regarding the very sad news that a student at Henley College has died with suspected meningococcal disease,” the Hart Surgery in Henley said in a statement on Thursday evening.

“They have confirmed that they are actively contacting those who may be at risk due to a close association with the student involved.

“If you have not been contacted by the UK Health Security Agency, then currently you do not require any treatment. Staff and students have been advised they can attend the college as usual.

“The number of confirmed cases is very low so there are currently no plans for a local emergency meningitis vaccination programme.”

Henley College, in Henley, is a sixth-form college with more than 2,000 full-time students which teaches more than 60 A-level subjects and vocational diplomas, according to its website.

On Thursday, Dr Paddy Woodman, director of student services at the University of Reading, said: “While there are no reported cases among University of Reading students, I know that our students, staff and family members may be concerned.

“We will be contacting students to remind them of existing information about looking out for signs of meningitis, and the importance of acting immediately on any worrying symptoms, as well as checking their vaccination status.”

Two students died in a meningitis outbreak in the Kent area in March – 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who was described by her family as “fit, healthy and strong” before her death, and a University of Kent student.

Dr Rachel Mearkle, consultant in health protection, said: “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.

“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.”

Meningitis Now’s chief executive Dr Tom Nutt said: “Everyone at Meningitis Now is deeply saddened and concerned to hear reports of a suspected outbreak of meningitis affecting young people in Reading and the surrounding area, including the tragic death of a young person.

“We would urge people to remain vigilant and aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease. Meningitis can become life-threatening very quickly and early diagnosis and treatment are absolutely vital.”

According to Dr Nutt, symptoms can appear in “any order” and may include a high temperature, severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, confusion, drowsiness, cold hands and feet, severe muscle pain, and a rash that does not fade under pressure.

“Teenagers and young adults are among the groups most at risk from meningococcal disease, and the recent outbreak in Kent has shown how quickly cases can emerge,” he added.

No overall majority was won at the authority when the city went to the polls across 24 wards on May 7, with half of the council’s seats up for grabs.

The makeup of the next Oxford administration is uncertain, as “conversations” to decide how the authority will be run are set to continue into the weekend.

Labour, which previously ran a minority administration with 21 seats, remains the council’s largest party with 20 seats.

The party lost two seats and made one gain.

One of the councillors who lost his seat was Alex Hollingsworth, a former city council leader, who is also the partner of de facto leader Susan Brown.

The ongoing discussions could end with Labour continuing to run the council as a minority or in an alliance, potentially with the Greens, who were celebrating “historic” gains.

The Green Party received the highest percentage of votes at the Oxford elections and came away with 13 seats, having gained four, its highest number ever on the council.

The Lib Dems held their seats, but made no gains at the election and had been in talks with the Greens about working together to run the council.

These talks have since fallen through.

Cllr Chris Jarvis, who was the Green group leader heading into the elections and is now its deputy, ruled out working with the Independent Oxford Alliance (IOA), over differing opinions on issues such as transport.

Previously, IOA leader Cllr David Henwood said the party’s door “remains open” to the Greens or Labour.

He stated: “IOA leader, Cllr David Henwood, said: “The Greens have made it clear that they will not work with the IOA.

“However, our door remains open, as we all have a duty to deliver the services required by law to the people of Oxford.”

Negotiations remain ongoing.

The timetable for local government reorganisation currently suggests that, following a decision on whether Oxfordshire will have one, two or three authorities set to be unveiled in July this year, “shadow authority” elections will be held in 2027.

This would be in place ahead of the new authority or authorities being set up by April 2028.

This means whoever takes control of the council may have less than a year in charge.

Meanwhile, the impact of these local elections has been playing out on a national stage with a leadership crisis for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, following major losses for the Labour Party across the UK.

A student at Henley College died after three cases were confirmed in the Reading area on Thursday.

In a statement on Friday morning, Henley College said: “The Henley College can confirm that one of its students sadly passed away earlier this week.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire college student died from meningitis confirmed

“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 given by the UK Health Security Agency.”

So, what is meningitis? And what other outbreaks have there been across the UK in the last 25 years?

Meningitis is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.

Students receive a vaccine in the sports hall at University of Kent campus (PA)

Meningitis is caused by a bacteria called Meningococcal bacteria that lives in the nose and throat.

The bacteria doesn’t always cause harm but can lead to meningitis or sepsis.

Strains of meningitis include MenB, MenC, and MenW which have been the leading cause of outbreaks.

But these strains have led to vaccines called the MenB vaccine and Men ACWY vaccine which covers all strains.

Symptoms include a high temperature, being sick, headache, a rash, a stiff neck, a dislike of bright lights, drowsiness, being unresponsiveness, or seizures.

Meningitis can be spread through close contact like kissing, sharing drinks, or being in close contact with a person for a lot of time.

Treatments include antibiotics, fluids, and oxygen through a face mask.

READ MORE: Drivers arrested after 41 vehicles stopped on roads

Getting plenty of rest and taking painkillers and anti-sickness medication can help relieve the symptoms in the meantime.

It is usually caught from people who carry these viruses or bacteria in their nose or throat but are not ill themselves.

Viral meningitis will usually get better on its own and rarely causes any long-term problems.

Most people with bacterial meningitis who are treated quickly will also make a full recovery, although some are left with serious long-term problems.

The MenB vaccine has been available on the NHS since 2015 as part of routine childhood immunisations, but university students today would not have been vaccinated.

In 2000 to 2001 multiple universities across England had meningitis outbreaks, which helped drive the national MenC vaccination campaign.

In 2007 there were multiple student cases on Meningococcal meningitis at the University of Cambridge, and antibiotics were given out at the time.

Between 2013 to 2015 multiple universities saw an increase in MenW strain, prompting a MenACWY vaccine rollout.

Edinburgh University and other Scottish universities saw an increase in MenW meninigitis, student-focused vaccination campaigns were rolled out in Scotland.

At Swansea university in 2017 there was a suspected meningococcal cluster and several linked student illnesses were investigated.

In 2018 Nottinghamshire secondary schools saw a viral meningitis cluster, with public health monitoring and school alerts.

Meanwhile, in 2022 Belfast and Northern Ireland saw meningococcal case, with localised school and youth clusters reported.

One of the more recent reports occurred earlier this year with cases in Canterbury, Kent deemed the largest UK outbreak “in a generation”.

This was linked to nightclub exposure with nearly 30 cases and two deaths.

In April, as well, three cases of Men B were confirmed in Dorset, with more than 1,800 pupils at a local secondary school given antibiotics.