Boy, three, is killed by meningitis at nursery
A BOY aged three has died and another child needed hospital treatment after contracting meningitis at their nursery school.
Hector Kirkham fell ill last week and died within 12 hours, his parents said.
The other child, who has not been named, was also taken to hospital but has since been discharged.
Both children attended Little Learners Nursery, in Lancaster, and all children and staff have been offered antibiotics as a precaution, public health officials said. Hector, also from the city, was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary last Thursday, but died later that day.
It is thought he had contracted Meningitis B. In September 2015 the Government introduced a vaccination programme for the B strain, which is now routinely offered to babies aged eight weeks.
It is not clear if Hector had missed out on being immunised because he was slightly too old.
In a statement, his parents Charlotte, 33, a supply manager, and Lee Kirkham, 36, who works for an energy company, described him as a ‘gorgeous, cheeky, happy boy’.
They also warned parents to act quickly if they suspect their child has Meningitis B.
‘Hector was perfect in every way, our absolute world, our sunshine, our very best friend,’ they said. ‘Hector became very poorly very fast from contracting meningococcal septicaemia.
‘Hector’s symptoms of sickness and a temperature only presented 12 hours before we sadly lost the love of our lives.
‘We urge all parents to be vigilant and any signs or symptoms that point towards meningitis being a possibility please, please seek urgent medical advice, don’t delay.’
No one at Little Learners nursery, which has an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating and looks after children from birth to five years old, would comment last night.
A member of staff said: ‘The owner does not want to say anything at this stage.’
Mothers picking up their children yesterday afternoon at the nursery in Galgate on the outskirts of Lancaster expressed shock at Hector’s death. One said: ‘It must be heartbreaking
‘Gorgeous happy boy’
for his parents. Everybody is feeling very distressed. It just brings it so much closer to home when something like this happens in your neighbourhood.’
Public Health England (PHE) said it was working closely with the nursery but tried to reassure parents that the risks to other children were not high.
Grainne Nixon, of PHE North West, said: ‘We understand there will be concern among parents and staff at the nursery, and we’d like to assure parents that the risk of another case arising in the nursery is very low.
‘Meningococcal disease does not spread very easily. As a precaution, all children and staff at the nursery have been offered antibiotics to reduce the chance of them carrying the bacteria which causes the disease.’