A PARENT has spoken of his fear for his daughter’s health after she failed to receive antibiotics from school nurses following a meningitis scare at New College.

Last Saturday, a 17-year-old student was rushed to hospital and later diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.

He remains under care but the Adver understands his condition is improving.

Following news of his hospitalisation Public Health England, along with the college, confirmed antibiotics would be given to people who had been in ‘close contact’ with the teenager.

Yet despite attending the same classes, the father – who wished to remain anonymous – said his 18-year-old daughter and her schoolmates were not prescribed medication.

The college and Public Health England said drugs had been given to anyone who needed them. But the concerned father said he was concerned as the 17-year-old boy was distributing scripts to his fellow drama classmates two days before being admitted to GWH.

“In drama, they touch and they do some dancing, they get sweaty and there is a lot of contact,” he said.

“The college said in the Adver that they would give antibiotics to people who were in contact with him. But they have not. My daughter was worried.

“The students had a meeting with the nurses and they said that ‘if you don’t feel very well go to the hospital’.

“I was fuming. It was a blow when I first saw he had meningitis in the paper. My wife was worried so she phoned the doctor about our daughter. The doctor said she should have been tested.

“I am angry with the college. At the end of the day it’s frightening especially when you see how bad he was. It’s bad enough with a virus but bacterial meningitis could be a killer.”

He added: “Meningitis is dangerous. It’s not something that you go home, have 24 hours in bed, and get over. It can claim a life at the worst or leave you disabled.

“These children are our flesh and blood.”

Public Health England said it was still identifying close contacts to eliminate further infection and spread of the disease.

The body described a close contact as “someone who lives and or sleeps in the same household as a person with meningococcal disease, in the seven days before the onset of illness”.

Dr Bharat Pankhania, consultant in communicable disease control for the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Public Health England Centre, said: “We wish to reassure students and staff at the college that all necessary contact tracing and control procedures have been undertaken.

“Students who have attended the same class or have spent a short amount of time with the patient are not classified as close contacts.

“PHE and New College wish to reassure all concerned that apart from the very close contacts who have already been given antibiotics, there is no need for a wider group of people to take antibiotics.

“The best advice still remains for students and parents to be aware of and alert to the signs and symptoms.”