Thursday 4th February 2016- The Telegraph: Team GB athlete dies from meningitis after being told by A&E doctor she had stomach bug

‘A young Great Britain athlete died from meningitis just hours after a junior doctor on his first week in A&E wrongly diagnosed a stomach bug, an inquest heard.

Ellie Penrose, a promising 18-year-old triathlete, was taken to hospital by her family after complaining of a headache and sensitivity to light.

She was seen by newly-qualified Dr Don Hettiarachchi who diagnosed gastroenteritis and dehydration and sent her home with paracetamol and ibuprofen.

But an inquest heard she was “inappropriately discharged” from Hull Royal Infirmary, in East Yorkshire, after the “failure in care”.’

‘Hours later, her parents Tom and Pauline dialled 999 after finding her critically ill on her bed at their home. She was taken to hospital, but died later the same day from “overwhelming sepsis” caused by meningococcal septicaemia.

Hours before she died last August, Miss Penrose discovered she had excelled in her A-levels and was destined for university.

Dr Hettiarachchi admitted to the Hull inquest he was “not 100 per cent sure” of the root cause of Miss Penrose’s illness when he saw her in the hospital at 3am on August 12 last year.

With no consultant available, he consulted with fellow trainee Dr Ayman Ghoneim in a corridor before discharging her.

Coroner Professor Paul Marks asked if he had considered meningitis and Dr Hettiarachchi replied: “I did. When I examined her there was no rash. There was blotching on her face. I felt it was more viral.’

‘Questioned by the Penrose family’s lawyer, Dr Hettiarachchi added: “I did not treat it as meningitis because I felt it didn’t fit with the general picture.”

Asked if he would have done anything differently, he replied: “Lots of things. I would have consulted with a registrar or above.”

Dr Hettiarachchi accepted he did not highlight key observations – crucially, Miss Penrose’s high blood pressure, low pulse rate and skin blotching – to Dr Ghoneim, but denied a claim that he had already reached a diagnosis.’

Related Articles:

Team GB athlete dies from meningitis after being told by A&E doctor she had stomach bug

Team GB triathlete Ellie Penrose died after her meningitis was misdiagnosed as stomach pains, inquest hears- The Independent

Triathlete died after doctor failed to diagnose meningitis- The Guardian

Tuesday 10th November 2015- BBC News: Meningitis jab in Africa a ‘stunning success’

‘A mass vaccination programme against meningitis A in Africa has been a “stunning success”, say experts.

More than 220 million people were immunised across 16 countries in the continent’s meningitis belt.

In 2013 there were just four cases across the entire region, which once faced thousands of deaths each year.

However, there are fresh warnings from the World Health Organization that “huge epidemics” could return unless a new vaccination programme is started.

The meningitis belt stretches across sub-Saharan Africa from Gambia in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

In the worst epidemic recorded, in 1996-97, the disease swept across the belt infecting more than a quarter of a million people and led to 25,000 deaths.

Unlike other vaccines, the MenAfriVac was designed specifically for Africa and in 2010 a mass vaccination campaign was started.

Laboratory-confirmed cases of meningitis A have been falling ever since:

• 2009 – 1,994 cases
• 2010 – 430 cases
• 2011 – 111 cases
• 2012 – 49 cases
• 2013 – four cases

“The disease has virtually disappeared from this part of the world,” said Dr Marie-Pierre Preziosi from the World Health Organization.’

 

Related Articles:

Meningitis jab in Africa a ‘stunning success’

Affordable and effective vaccine brings Africa close to elimination of meningitis A- World Health Organisation

Tuesday 1st September 2015- The Guardian: NHS meningitis B vaccination programme begins across the UK

‘A vaccination programme to protect young children in the UK against the potentially fatal disease meningitis B begins on Tuesday.

The jab is being added to the NHS childhood immunisation programme and will be offered to babies at the ages of two months, four months and 12-13 months.

In March 2014 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended a national MenB immunisation programme for infants using a three-dose schedule.

But there was a delay in making it available while negotiations took place between the Department of Health and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which makes the Bexsero MenB vaccine.

The introduction of the programme means Britain will become the first country in the world with a nationwide meningitis B vaccination programme. The public health minister, Jane Ellison, said it was a “landmark moment”.’

See:

NHS meningitis B vaccination programme begins across the UK

Sunday 21st June 2015- The Telegraph: Meningitis B vaccine for all UK babies from September

‘Parents will be able to get jabs for the strain of the deadly brain infection for youngsters at the ages of two and four months, with a booster when they are a year old, the Department of Health and Scottish Government announced.

They said that the infant programme, available from GPs, meant England and Scotland were the first countries in the world to begin “national and publicly-funded meningitis B immunisation”.

Teenagers aged 17 and 18 in the final year of sixth-form and other students aged 19 to 25 who are starting university this year will also be able to receive a vaccination against the A, C, W and Y strains of the infection from August, the Department of Health said, which is “particularly important” for those heading off to university.’

Related Articles:

Meningitis B vaccine for all UK babies from September

England become first country worldwide to offer meningitis jabs to all babies- The Independent

Meningitis B vaccine offered to all babies from September- BBC News

New meningitis drive vaccine will save thousands of lives- The Guardian