Boy, 6, dies of meningitis hours after 'medics told mum he was milking it'

A SIX-YEAR-OLD schoolboy died of meningitis just hours after medics told his mum he was milking it, an inquest has heard.

Little Oliver Hall was killed by the disease shortly after paramedic Graham Scott "rolled his eyes" at his "over-anxious" mum.


He passed away at the James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk on October 24, 2017.

Mum Georgie Hall, 38, told the inquest how she warned medics her son could have meningitis – but was brushed away at every turn.

She wept: "I said I was worried about meningitis and they assured me he was well enough to return home.

"They rejected meningitis out of hand. I was told everything was fine. I was made to feel I had to trust the medical professionals."

Symptoms of meningitis

Meningitis can affect anyone but it's most common in babies, teens and young adults.

It's often mistaken for being flu and in some cases, people can seem hungover.

But the longer you leave it, the more at risk you become of things like blood poisoning – which can be fatal.

You can get the Meningitis B vaccine at Boots for £220.

Symptoms of meningitis develop suddenly and can include:

  • a high temperature (fever) of 38C  or above
  • being sick
  • a headache
  • a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it (but this will not always develop)
  • a stiff neck
  • a dislike of bright lights
  • drowsiness or unresponsiveness
  • fits (seizures)

You need to seek medical help ASAP.

Even when people do survive meningitis, it can leave them with life-long issues such as hearing or vision loss, epilepsy, amputations and memory problems.

The inquest heard how paramedic Graham Scott dismissed her concerns and mimicked the "grunting" noise Oliver was making.

He also joked that Oliver was going to "milk it" after the lad tripped over a step.

Husband Bryan added: "We both suspected meningitis and Georgie was raising this as a potential diagnosis.

"We were made to feel we were over-sensitive parents who did not know what we were talking about."

Professor Nigel Klein, a professor of infectious disease at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said that he believed Oliver could have survived if he had been treated sooner.

He said that even if he had been treated as late as 3pm on October 23, he would still have lived, although he might have been left with scarring or loss of fingers or toes.




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