Meningitis victim, 4, missed out on vaccine by 8 weeks
A GIRL who died aged four from meningitis B would have received a vaccine for the disease if she had been born two months later.
The jab has been offered to all newborns since 2015.
Evie’s mother Courtney May, 20, has now spoken out to ensure others know to look out for warning signs.
The illness – an infection of the brain and spinal cord – does not always trigger more commonlyknown symptoms, such as a rash.
Miss May said Evie had been acting like her ‘ happy, normal self’ on the morning of March 22 when she suddenly fell ill. She died last Wednesday, just 24 hours after being diagnosed with meningitis B.
Miss May said her ‘beautiful’ daughter ‘will live on through other people’, having donated her heart to a threeyear-old girl and her lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas to others.
The ‘beautiful’ girl, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, had only ever previously been ill with a cold, her family said.
‘The nurses said there was nothing they could have done,’ said Miss May. ‘I want to make sure people know about this. I thought a rash was usually a sign of meningitis ... I thought she had a normal bug.’
Miss May, who also has a ninemonth-old son Carter, recalled the ‘ normal Friday morning’ when Evie fell ill, saying: ‘She’d been her happy, normal self. We’d gone out for breakfast, but then she didn’t want anything to eat.’
Evie said she had a headache and bellyache, which Miss May tried to treat with Calpol.
‘She was sick in the toilet. Then she fell asleep on the sofa. Then she was waking up and speaking to me as normal.’ Miss May said Evie was drowsy and felt ‘heavier than normal’, adding: ‘I took her temperature. It was 40.1C (104F) – I rang 111 and they sent an ambulance. Her pupils went massive. Her arms and her legs went stiff.’
When paramedics arrived minutes later, they told Miss May she was having a seizure.
‘Acting like her normal self’
Evie underwent several medical procedures at North Manchester General Hospital, including a CT scan. She was given antibiotics and antiviral and antiepileptic medication.
Doctors told Miss May her daughter had suffered brain damage and Evie was put in an induced coma before being transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital for specialist care.
The vaccine against meningitis B is recommended for babies aged eight weeks, with a second dose at 16 weeks and booster at one year.
Linda Glennie, of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: ‘We encourage all parents to take up the offer of the vaccines. But there are not yet vaccines to prevent all forms of the disease so it is vital people are aware of the symptoms.’
Warning signs include fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell, she said, adding: ‘Limb pain, pale skin and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion.’