Student Dies from Meningitis in England

May 16, 2026, 11:36
EuropeHealth

Introduction

Health workers are looking at meningitis cases in Reading and Oxfordshire. One student died and two other students are in the hospital.

Main Body

Three students knew each other. One student, Lewis Waters, was 17 years old. He died from a blood infection. Doctors gave medicine to people close to the students. The risk to other people is low. Babies get a vaccine for this disease. But teenagers and young adults do not get it. Dr. Tom Nutt says the government wants to save money. He thinks the government should give the vaccine to more people. The Department of Health is now checking the rules. They want to see if more people should get the vaccine. They use new information to make this decision.

Conclusion

Health workers are watching the situation. They are telling people how to find the signs of the sickness.

Learning

⚡ THE 'ACTION' WORD

In this story, we see a pattern: Someone →\rightarrow Does something →\rightarrow To someone else.

Doctors →\rightarrow gave →\rightarrow medicine. Government →\rightarrow wants to save →\rightarrow money.

💡 Simple Rule for A2: To make a clear sentence, keep this order: Person + Action + Thing/Person.

🔍 Spotting the 'Past': Notice how the story changes when things already happened. We add -ed or change the word:

  • Know →\rightarrow Knew
  • Die →\rightarrow Died
  • Give →\rightarrow Gave

🛠 Vocabulary Shift: Instead of saying "bad health thing," use these A2 words from the text:

  • Disease (The illness)
  • Vaccine (The medicine to stop it)
  • Risk (The chance of danger)

Vocabulary Learning

student
a person who is studying at school or university
Example:The student reads a book in the library.
hospital
a place where sick people are treated
Example:She went to the hospital after the accident.
blood
the liquid that carries oxygen in the body
Example:Blood flows through veins and arteries.
infection
when harmful germs make a person sick
Example:The infection made him feel very ill.
medicine
a substance used to treat sickness
Example:He took medicine to cure the fever.
risk
the chance that something bad may happen
Example:There is a small risk of getting the disease.
vaccine
a shot that protects against disease
Example:The vaccine helps prevent infections.
teenager
a person aged 13 to 19
Example:The teenager learned about health.
government
the group that runs a country
Example:The government decided to give the vaccine.
rules
a set of instructions that people should follow
Example:The rules say you must wear a mask.
information
facts or details about something
Example:He read the information on the poster.
situation
a set of circumstances or events
Example:The situation is getting better.
signs
clues that show something is happening
Example:The doctor looked for signs of illness.
sickness
a state of being ill
Example:The sickness made him feel weak.
department
a part of a government or organization
Example:The department of health issued a warning.