A young person has died and two people are being treated after cases of meningitis in Reading.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) South East said close contacts of those affected were being offered antibiotics as a precaution.

It said information has been shared about the infection with students and parents at all affected schools but the risk to the wider public was low.

Rachel Mearkle, a consultant in health protection, said: "Students and staff will naturally be feeling worried...however meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread and large outbreaks as we saw in Kent recently are thankfully rare."

The UKHSA said one of the cases has been confirmed as Meningitis B (MenB) but that it is awaiting further results on the other two.

"Anyone can get meningitis, and around 300 to 400 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed in England every year," Mearkle added.

"It's most common in babies, young children, teenagers, and young adults.

"It needs to be treated quickly so it is important to know the signs and symptoms. They can appear in any order and may not all be present, so seek rapid medical attention if there is ever any concern."

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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4p750q857o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss