Meningitis outbreak: calls grow for wider vaccine rollout after Oxfordshire teen dies

Fresh calls for a wider rollout of meningitis vaccines have emerged in the United Kingdom after a teenage student from Oxfordshire died after contracting the disease.Lewis Waters, a sixth-form student at The Henley College, died earlier this week following a meningitis infection. Two other pupils — one from Reading Blue Coat School and another from Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre — are also receiving treatment.According to reports from the BBC, health officials confirmed that one of the recent cases involved Meningitis B (MenB), while further testing is ongoing in the other cases.Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, urged authorities to expand access to MenB vaccines for teenagers and young adults, arguing that more lives could be protected through wider immunisation.“Young lives are really precious and we should do everything we can to protect them,” Nutt said.Currently, MenB vaccinations are not routinely offered to teenagers and young adults through the NHS immunisation schedule, despite being available for infants.The UK Health Security Agency said investigators identified a social connection between Lewis and the two other affected students. Close contacts linked to all three cases are being offered precautionary antibiotics.The recent infections come amid growing concern over meningitis outbreaks in England. Two people linked to a nightclub outbreak in Canterbury died from MenB earlier this year, while three young people in Dorset were diagnosed with meningitis in April.Health officials stressed that the overall risk to the wider public remains low but advised young people to ensure their vaccinations are up to date, including the MenACWY vaccine offered in schools.Symptoms of meningitis can develop suddenly and may include high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion, seizures and a rash that does not fade when pressed.