Mum’s daughter, 3, disabled for life after problem ‘dismissed’

A mother has revealed how her little girl was left permanently disabled after contracting chickenpox during pregnancy and claimed doctors dismissed it as “just a virus”. Anna Martin, 31, said she had five visits to the GP and the emergency room, but her concerns were constantly brushed aside and she was never treated for the disease despite clear warning signs.

This had catastrophic consequences as Anna developed a serious complication, resulting in her daughter Genevieve being born in November 2022 with congenital chickenpox syndrome, a rare and serious condition. He was also born with longitudinal limb deficiency and fibular hemimelia, meaning his right leg was shortened and he had three toes on his little foot.

Anna and her fiancé Iain Lewis, 32, made the painful decision to amputate her right foot when she was just 14 months old. Genevieve, now three years old, also faces a significant risk of multiple learning disabilities, secondary vision and hearing loss, as well as limb deformities.

Anna has now launched legal action against Chesterfield Royal Infirmary and GP practice in Derbyshire and is calling on the NHS to protect pregnant women.

Secondary school teacher Anna, from Chesterfield, said: “A normal, joyful pregnancy turned into a nightmare due to an avoidable failure in the system. “We have been let down by the NHS, my GP surgery and Chesterfield Royal Infirmary.

“Most importantly, we are disappointed by a policy that values ​​guesswork over simple testing, continuing to put pregnant women and their babies at risk.”

Only five weeks into her pregnancy, Anna’s five-year-old daughter, Josephine, returned from her babysitter with chickenpox. Anna quickly became seriously ill with fever and flu-like symptoms and visited his doctor’s office to disclose her exposure; but he claimed he was constantly told it was “just a virus” and that no testing was done.

Anna added: “I went to the GP and was asked if I had had chickenpox as a child. I said I wasn’t sure; my mum thought I probably had but there was no certainty. “I was told it could be a virus and I was sent home.

“Over the next week I went to the GP twice more as my symptoms did not improve and my temperature did not go down. Each time I was reassured that it was a virus and sent home again.

“The next day I noticed a sore spot behind my ear and went straight to hospital. I was isolated in the next room and told it looked like chickenpox but the staff were unsure how to proceed.

“I was left unattended for several hours. I was then transferred to the Women’s Health Unit, which had closed shortly before my arrival.

“I was made to wait in a hallway with a substitute paramedic before being reluctantly allowed in and told I should not be brought there because I posed a risk to other pregnant women. I was sampled and sent home to await a call from an obstetrician. When no one contacted me the next morning, I called myself for guidance.

“Despite explaining how bad and scared I felt, I was advised to stay at home. I was told I could return to A&E if I felt I couldn’t cope, which I did. I was then admitted to the Emergency Medical Unit, where I was largely isolated, denied visitors and denied basic washing facilities.”

GPs were following existing NHS guidelines that adults should only be offered a blood test to check for chickenpox antibodies if they are absolutely sure they have never had the virus before.

Anna added: “Many pregnant women, like me, are unsure of their chickenpox status and are at risk if exposed to the virus. “This is a huge flaw in the system and has cost my daughter a lot.

“If I had been given this simple blood test at my first doctor’s visit, or even my third, my infection could have been detected in time. Antiviral treatment could have been started earlier and this situation could have been potentially prevented.

“Instead of being listened to or helped, I was denied treatment. I was left alone in the next room for hours.

“I was eventually transferred to the Women’s Health Unit, who did not want to see me and said I was a risk to others. They reluctantly removed my rash but still did not give me any treatment and sent me home. It was only after taking myself back to AandE the next evening that I was finally given antiviral medication.”

But when I was finally diagnosed with chickenpox, it was too late.

She continued: “This is surprising to me when you consider that chickenpox is not a virus we test to diagnose and that the number of adults with clinical evidence of the childhood disease is now very rare. “Instead, it was assumed I had it too and so I wasn’t tested until two weeks after I showed symptoms, too late to make a difference to my daughter catching the disease.

“He is doing well now. He complains of fatigue and pain/spasm most nights, but is moderately active and full of light and laughter.”

Anna filed a complaint against the hospital and the health center, alleging medical negligence. It has also started a petition on Change.org calling on the NHS to review its current policy of automatically testing pregnant women for chickenpox antibodies when exposure is suspected, regardless of whether they believe they had chickenpox as a child.

She continued: “The most important thing for us as parents is to raise awareness of how dangerous chickenpox can be in pregnancy and to highlight a clear gap in current NHS guidance. “NHS guidance currently recommends that vulnerable adults exposed to chickenpox be tested only if they are sure they have never had the disease before.

“As a mother, I find this extremely worrying. Many of us were never tested in our childhood, and diagnoses were often based solely on memory or visual assessment. It is also possible to contract chickenpox more than once.

“We believe that pregnant women should be offered antiviral treatment when blood tests are performed, especially in early pregnancy, regardless of uncertainty about past infection. Antivirals are considered safe in pregnancy and may prevent infants from being exposed to Congenital Varicella Syndrome.”

“Had a more preventative approach been taken, my daughter could have been spared the obstacles she is currently experiencing. While we remain positive and hopeful about her future, we also recognize that this could potentially have been prevented. Our aim is not to place blame, but to prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.”

Krishna Kallianpur, chief nurse at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said: “We continue to work with Ms Martin’s representatives regarding her daughter’s care and the concerns she has raised with us. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation and legal process is ongoing.”