She complained of malaise, and died three days later in the hospital.
38-year-old Sharon Stokes still does not believe that her girl is no more. The tragedies did not bode well. Just one morning, her daughter Maisie complained that she was not feeling well. Sharon thought it was a common cold – the girl had no fever or other symptoms of any serious illness. Even my throat didn’t hurt. A day later, Maisie was already in a coma.
The morning after Maisie said she was not feeling well, the girl woke up with gray eyes. The frightened mother called an ambulance.
“Maisie is covered in a rash. And then my hands began to turn black – it happened instantly, literally in an hour. ” Sharon said that her girl’s condition was deteriorating at an incredible rate.
They were taken to the hospital, and the girl was immediately put into an artificial coma. Turns out Maisie has meningitis. They could not save her: at the moment when the mother called an ambulance, the girl had already started sepsis. She died two days later in intensive care.
“I understood that my daughter was seriously ill. But I didn’t think it would end … like this, ”sobs Sharon. – I could not even think that she had something fatal. There were no symptoms to worry about. Just sickness. But it turned out that Maisie was at the doctors too late. “
Now Sharon is doing everything so that more parents learn about the danger of meningitis, so that such a tragedy does not happen to them.
“Nobody has to go through this. My girl … Even in the hospital she thanked me for taking care of her. She was eager to help everyone and was a happy child. She wanted to serve in the army when she grows up and defend her country, ”she told the Daily Mail.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. Anyone can get the disease, but children under the age of five and people between the ages of 15 and 24 and over 45 are at increased risk. The risk is also higher for those with secondhand smoke or weakened immune systems, such as those on chemotherapy.
Meningitis can be caused by viruses and bacteria. In the latter case, emergency treatment with antibiotics in the hospital is required. Approximately 10% of cases are fatal. And those who have recovered often have complications such as brain damage and hearing loss. In case of blood poisoning, limbs have to be amputated.
Vaccinations can protect against some forms of meningitis. So far, there is no protection against meningitis on the national immunization schedule. It is possible that they will begin to vaccinate against this disease en masse, in a planned manner, from 2020. And now the meningitis vaccine can be done by yourself, in consultation with a pediatrician.
Doctor Alexey Bessmertny, allergist-immunologist, pediatrician:
– Indeed, the diagnosis of meningitis and its difference from viral infections are quite difficult. And almost never, these diseases can not be distinguished from each other without the help of a doctor. There are symptoms that should alert parents and encourage them to call a doctor immediately, rather than prolong the situation. This is an atypical course of the infectious process: persistent fever that does not decrease, as well as the manifestation of general cerebral symptoms – headache and muscle pain, vomiting, throwing the head back, drowsiness, loss of consciousness or a stupor state when the child is a little inadequate and is in a semi-coma. In addition, the child may fall into a state of shock when the pressure drops, the child becomes lethargic and semi-conscious.
Another formidable symptom is meningococcinia, the appearance of a large amount of a typical rash on the body in the form of multiple hemorrhages.
Meningitis is caused mainly by three bacteria: meningococcus, pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae, and it is very difficult to distinguish it from a bacterial infection.
Key points: rash on the body, headache, vomiting, throwing the head back and increased sensitivity to everything: sound, light and other stimuli.
In any incomprehensible situation, it is better to call a doctor and double-check than to wait for the weather by the sea.