The parents of a 20-year-old woman who died of meningitis after being turned away from hospital have warned families not to rely on a traditional DIY test for the condition.
Last month, an inquest jury decided that Alice and Paul Ward’s daughter Sophie died unnecessarily after doctors failed to diagnose the potentially deadly infection and administer antibiotics.
The arts student had more than ten of the typical symptoms of meningitis – which affects the brain and spinal cord and is most common in children and teens – when she was discharged from Barnet Hospital in north London.
It was only when she became severely ill at home the next morning and began bleeding from her eyes that doctors began to treat her.
Tragically, Sophie died less than ten hours later. Now her parents want to help other families avoid a similar fate.
They say that Sophie was discharged by medics, despite repeatedly raising concerns about meningitis, because at the time she was not yet presenting with other key symptoms of the condition.
One of these is a rash. Parents have long been advised to seek urgent treatment if a red or purple rash on their child doesn’t fade when a glass or tumbler is pressed on it.
A recent survey suggested that more than 40 per cent of mothers believe the glass test is the best way to identify meningitis – but experts warn that it cannot be relied on to give an early warning of the deadly disease.
Sophie Ward had more than ten of the typical symptoms of meningitis when she was discharged from Barnet Hospital in north London
Once a rash appears it may already be too late to get help, as it means the infection has advanced and sepsis, a potentially fatal condition, has taken hold.
In Sophie’s case, a rash developed when she was past the point when she could be saved by antibiotics.
‘Sophie had enough red flags when she arrived at A&E to be sent for emergency treatment in ten minutes,’ her father Paul, a teacher, told The Mail on Sunday. ‘But because she wasn’t confused, could – with pain and difficulty – touch her neck to her chest, and didn’t have a rash, she was diagnosed with a migraine and sent home.
‘Sophie was in hospital at exactly the right time to receive life-saving treatment, and this window was missed due to outmoded examinations. By the time Sophie developed a rash the next morning, it was too late. We rushed her to hospital but she suffered a heart attack and died within hours.’
Meningitis, a swelling of the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, affects about 8,000 people in the UK each year. Children, babies and young adults are most often affected, as their immune systems are weaker.
Students are particularly at risk as they often live in close quarters with peers, which allows the infections that cause meningitis to spread easily.
Next week, an inquest concludes into the death of Leeds University student William Hewes, 22, whose meningitis developed into sepsis.
Meningitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, with bacterial meningitis the most severe and rare. Symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, an intense headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting – all of which can seem similar to a flu or stomach bug.
But meningitis worsens quickly, and can develop into sepsis – a violent immune system response to the infection in which the body begins to attack its own organs.
Dr Jolanta Bernatoniene, a consultant paediatrician and expert in paediatric contagious diseases, says waiting for a rash to develop before seeking help is a mistake.
She adds: ‘Instead, be aware of the other symptoms, such as a worsening headache, spiking temperature, aversion to bright light, or, with babies, dislike of being held or cuddled.
Last month, an inquest jury decided that Sophie died unnecessarily after doctors failed to diagnose the potentially deadly infection and administer antibiotics
Experts have warned that the glass test cannot be relied on to give an early warning of the deadly disease
‘Not everyone will develop a rash – and if they do, it’s often an indication the disease has got much worse, meaning the patient requires urgent treatment to survive. And with an illness that progresses as quickly as meningitis, there’s no time for delay.’
The MenACWY vaccine – which protects against the four most common strains of meningitis – is offered at school and is available to anyone under 25. And the MenB vaccine – protection against the bacteria that caused the infection that killed Sophie – was introduced in 2016 but is only offered to babies on the NHS.
Those with sepsis or meningitis will often develop a rash of tiny red or ‘pinprick’ marks which can turn into larger red or purple areas resembling bruises. Most rashes will fade under pressure, as blood supply is restricted and the skin whitens. But meningitis rashes occur when blood starts to leak into the skin. This means that even as a glass is pressed into the skin, the rash will remain.
But for some patients, like Sophie, this type of rash indicates that sepsis has already set in, meaning it’s too late for treatment. Now her parents are calling for better awareness around the symptoms of meningitis – particularly for students who are already at higher risk of the condition.
‘The rash is an unhelpful way to rule out meningitis,’ said Paul. ‘It may be important for infants who can’t speak for themselves, but in young adults it tends to be a very late-onset symptom. There’s not enough information available about how the disease manifests in younger adults.
‘Sophie’s death, and its needless, avoidable nature, is part of a bigger problem which everyone should be concerned about.’
