Inquiry launched after girl dies following meningitis misdiagnosis

21/08/2006

We found you very professional as well as approachable, helpful and caring. We can now move on and look forward to a more stable and secure future. I am sure that this would not have happened without yourselves being involved.

Jayne, Evesham

An inquiry is underway following the death of a baby girl who died from meningitis.

Doctors failed to diagnose meningitis and sent the girl home with instructions to giver her Calpol.

The baby girl was nine months old and was rushed to hospital by her parents after they noticed purple spots on her body - a common symptom of meningitis.

But after hospital tests doctors failed to diagnose meningitis and instead diagnosed a viral infection and prescribed rest and Calpol.

Within eight hours the girl was rushed back to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport after her condition became worse.

The rash had spread across her body.

Purple, bruising like spots covered her face, arms and chest.

As her symptoms worsened she was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where doctors failed to resuscitate her and she died.

The hospital has launched an internal inquiry to investigate the incident.

Meningitis - a potentially fatal and very serious disease which can cause brain damage. Symptoms include a red rash, purple spots, fever, limbs becoming floppy and loss of colour.

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