New meningitis scare hits Britain .
LONDON 1996-12-06
A boy has died from meningitis and a girl from the same school has contracted the disease in the second such scare to hit Britain in as many weeks , health authorities said on Friday .
The 16-year-old who attended Sale Grammar School in the northern England city of Manchester died less than a day after becoming ill .
The 15-year-old girl is also suffering from the disease and hospital officials described her condition as serious .
" At the moment there is no evidence the two cases are linked .
However , we are assuming they are as a precaution for the time being , " a spokeswoman said .
The more than 1,260 students at the school are being given antibiotics as a precaution .
Wales grappled with its own cluster of meningitis cases on a university campus in Cardiff .
At least two people have died and hundreds have been vaccinated in an effort to contain the virus .
In Scotland , eight people have died and hundreds more are fighting a widespread food-poisoning outbreak .
A health authority spokeswoman said 78 people suspected of having the disease , including 64 confirmed cases , were still being treated .
Three were listed in poor condition .
More than 290 people have reported symptoms in Lanarkshire county , the worst-hit area , since the outbreak first came to light after people ate tainted meat pies at a pensioners ' lunch .