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.

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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.

Kyle Cox, of Harebell Road, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, May 14.

The 23-year-old was charged after a stabbing at Northfield Close, near the junction with Alice Smith Square in the Littlemore area of Oxford, at around midnight on Thursday, December 11 last year.

Cox pleaded guilty to wounding Zachary Stone and having a Samurai sword in a public place.

The victim suffered serious injuries and was sent to hospital.

Alexandra Bushell, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Stone was in a relationship with Cox’s ex-girlfriend at the time of the attack.

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The crime scene at the time (Image: TVP)

Mr Stone was at her house and Cox was outside, shouting for her.

The court heard Mr Stone asked him to leave, which is when Cox’s mood changed.

He pulled out a Samurai sword and started to swing it around. He struck Mr Stone’s hip twice and then went for his face.

Mr Stone blocked this, but the top of his thumb was sliced off.

Ms Bushell told the court the victim was in ‘extreme pain’ and felt ‘dizzy and sick’.

The police were called and Cox was arrested the next morning.

Mr Stone was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington and had to have two blood transfusions and a metal plate inserted into his hip.

Ms Bushell then read out Mr Stone’s victim impact statement.

It said: “Since the incident, I have suffered physically and mentally. I have had three surgeries since the attack.

“The top part of my thumb was sliced off in the incident. The impact has been massive. I can no longer play the guitar which I enjoyed doing.

“I have been struggling with my emotions since the incident. I will have to manage and cope with the injuries for the rest of my life.”

The court heard that Cox has six previous convictions for seven offences, including a bladed article offence.

Ms Bushell said: “There was a significant degree of planning. It was a highly dangerous weapon. It caused a grave injury.”

Peter Du Feu, mitigating, said: “The defendant is hugely frustrated by what he has done.

“He’s had no support from mental health services in prison. He is absolutely clean of substances at the moment.

“This was a love rivalry, but to behave as he did was quite unforgivable. He responded very badly indeed.

“He is determined to bounce back from this.”

Judge Ian Pringle KC (Image: NQ)

Judge Ian Pringle KC said: “This was the use of a highly dangerous weapon.”

Cox was jailed for a total of six years.

He was given a restraining order against the victim until a further order is made.

An order was also made for the forfeiture of the Samurai sword.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Ben Heath said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack in which a man was stabbed with a samurai-style sword. The offender brought the weapon with him and clearly intended to use it.

“As a result, the victim suffered multiple serious injuries, many of which he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence. Thames Valley Police take crimes involving weapons extremely seriously, and this outcome demonstrates our ongoing commitment to removing dangerous offenders and weapons from our streets to help keep our communities safe.”

Sean Waters took to Facebook to describe the “heartbreak and upset” the family were going through after his “funny, sociable and kind hearted soul” son had died earlier this week.

Lewis Waters, who attended the Henley College, died in the early hours of Tuesday (May 12) after developing sepsis, caused by a meningococcal infection (meningitis).

Three cases of the infection were discovered in young people in Reading this week and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed yesterday (Thursday, May 14) that one person had since died.

Mr Waters said: “Words simply can’t describe the heartbreak and upset we’re going through.

“The early hours of yesterday we lost our Lewis. Within a few hours of feeling a bit ill he developed sepsis and was taken from us. He fought hard and was really taken care of by the ICU team, but they just couldn’t save him.

READ MORE: Meningitis student identified as dad pays tribute

“We are absolutely devastated.

“If you didn’t know Lewis, he was a funny, sociable kind hearted soul. He liked to include everyone and took great joy in winding me and Kate up.

“He also loved his sisters, friends and family dearly.

“Life won’t be the same for many of us now that he’s gone.”

READ MORE: One dead after UK infection outbreak: All we know so far

The two other pupils are studying at Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre, and are said to be receiving treatment.

A spokesperson for the Henley institution 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 given by the UK Health Security Agency.

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

It is being reported that the UKHSA confirmed the strain identified in the first case is not the same as the Kent outbreak earlier this year, which killed two people.

Close contacts linked to all three people in the cases are being offered antibiotics as a precaution.

The colleges and nearby Reading University are sharing information with students and parents about the signs and symptoms of the infection.

These include vomiting, fever, aches and muscle pain which can look similar to common illnesses like colds or flu. Other symptoms include a dislike of bright lights, fits and a severe headache.

Anyone concerned about symptoms should contact their GP, call NHS 111 or 999 in an emergency.