Nine-month-old baby girl battles meningitis in intensive care as outbreak continues
A nine-month-old girl is critically ill in hospital with severe meningitis as an “explosive” outbreak continues in Kent.
Nala-Rose Fletcher, from Folkestone, is currently in intensive care at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and doctors have said she will be permanently affected by the infection. It is unclear whether his illness is linked to the ongoing outbreak.
A JustGiving page has been set up to support parents Nick Fletcher and Danielle Trott and has raised more than £5,000 so far.
On March 13, parents thanked people for their support and posted an update on Nala’s condition.
They wrote: “Nothing can truly prepare you for the pain and fear of what we have been through and what we are still going through.
“There were moments when we felt extremely overwhelming and, at times, desperately lonely. But you – all of you – completely blew us away. The kindness you showed us with your generosity and words of support meant more than we could ever express.”
Nala “is still in a very bad condition and remains in intensive care,” the parents said, adding that she will need a series of surgeries in the coming days and weeks.
“We already know that he will face persistent challenges for the rest of his life, and that is something we are just beginning to accept,” they added.
It comes as health chiefs said they were investigating 20 cases of meningitis among young adults in Kent. Two students died during the outbreak, including an unnamed University of Kent student and sixth-form student Juliette Kenny from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Faversham.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that the increase was up from 15, adding that it had launched a national response to the crisis.
Of these, nine cases have been laboratory confirmed and 11 are under investigation. So far, six of the cases have been confirmed to be meningitis B strain.
The statement included the following: “All those currently affected in connection with the outbreak are young adults.
“UKHSA is aware of a baby with confirmed meningococcal group B infection who is not currently linked to the outbreak but UKHSA will continue to investigate this case.”
GPs across the country have been told to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury and University of Kent students between March 5-7.
This is to ensure that anyone leaving campus is assured of receiving the correct treatment.
UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said on Tuesday that authorities were looking at a “superspreader event”.
He added: “I cannot yet say where the initial infection came from, how it was transmitted to this cohort and why it generated such a high volume of infection.
“I can say that in my 35 years of working in medicine, healthcare and hospitals, this is the most cases of this type of infection I have seen in a single weekend.
“What is unprecedented here is the explosive nature – the number of cases in such a short period of time.”
Trish Mannes, UKHSA’s deputy regional director for the South East, said antibiotics were “the key intervention that will help protect people and stop the spread of the epidemic”.
He added that 5,000 University of Kent students at the Canterbury campus will be offered the male vaccine “with the possibility of it being extended as it remains under ongoing review”.
