College issues statement as North West student has suspected meningitis

A North West college has confirmed that one of its students has suspected meningitis

A North West college has confirmed that one of its students has suspected meningitis. St John Rigby College, in Orrell, in Wigan, issued a statement to parents and carers about a ‘suspected meningococcal case’ affecting a student.

No other students are thought to have the infection, and the case is not believed to be linked to the Kent outbreak, according to reports from the Manchester Evening News.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says there have been 34 either confirmed or suspected cases of meningitis in Kent during the current outbreak.

St John Rigby College, which issued a letter to families on Friday night (March 20), says it has acted swiftly, and students are safe to return to classes this week.

The college said: “We have been advised by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that a student who attends this college has recently been reported as a suspected meningococcal case, which we understand will be concerning, especially in light of the ongoing situation in Kent.

“We would like to reassure you that we have acted quickly and there is only one suspected case at the college. Health agencies have completed contact tracing, and there is no known connection to the situation in Kent.

“Across England, there is roughly one case of meningitis notified each day. Health professionals are managing the local situation as we would for any other case of meningitis in Wigan.

“All close contacts of this case have been identified already and offered antibiotics as a precaution. No one who has not already been identified and contacted needs antibiotics. The risk to students at this time is very low. There is no need for anyone to remain off college or not continue with usual activities.”

More than 8,000 meningitis B vaccines have been handed out since the outbreak in Kent. Some 23 cases have been confirmed and 11 more ‘remain under investigation’, the UKHSA said yesterday.

Kent County Council’s director of public health, Dr Anjan Ghosh, warned on Friday that ‘small household, sporadic clusters’ could appear in other parts of the UK as students who have travelled away from Kent ‘incubate’ the bug. But he said these would be ‘containable’ and stressed the risk of infection between individuals is low.

Symptoms of meningitis to watch out for:

• High temperature
• Rapid breathing
• Vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps
• Joint or muscle pain
• Cold hands and feet
• Severe headache
• Abnormal skin colour
• Stiff neck
• Rash or bruising rash
• Dislike of bright light
• Drowsiness or confusion