WHEN little Ezrah missed his feed, became restless and grouchy his parents knew something wasn’t right.
At just 19-days old, the little boy started grunting and his temperature soared.
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Concerned, parents Craig Pollard, 37, and Sarah Doolin, 34, called 111 and were told to wait for an ambulance.
The family, who live in Cornwall, waited for an hour for the ambulance to arrive, but with no sign of one, called 999.
They were told that one wasn’t coming and drove to A&E at Treliske, Royal Cornwall Hospital themselves.
Dad Craig said: “Once we got to Treliske his colour had gone and he had become mottled.
“They told us if we waited half an hour he would’ve died at home.
“Most stories we’ve read, parents have a long period of time as their child declines, but sadly Ezrah went downhill in hours.”
Ezrah was initially treated at the hospital before being moved to Bristol Children’s hospital, where he was diagnosed with sepsis and meningitis as a result of Group B Streptococcus (GBS or Strep B).
Despite the great efforts of medics, Ezrah passed away on March 25 after he suffered a brain injury.
What is Strep B and what are the symptoms you need to know?
Group B Streptococcus, or GBS is not uncommon in adults and affects between 20 and 40 per cent of us.
The condition becomes complicated when it affects a certain group of people, which are:
- Elderly people, or those who are very ill as it can cause repeated or serious infections
- Pregnant women as it could spread to their baby
- Young babies as it can make this incredibly ill.
The symptoms in newborn babies usually develop really early on, in around the first 24 hours after birth.
Symptoms in babies include:
- fever,
- breathing problems/grunting sounds,
- bluish-colored skin (cyanosis),
- seizures,
- limpness or stiffness,
- heart rate and blood pressure abnormalities,
- poor feeding,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea, and
- fussiness.
If adults develop invasive GBS they will experience:
- bloodstream infection (sepsis),
- skin and soft-tissue infection,
- bone and joint infection,
- lung infection (pneumonia),
- urinary tract infection, and
- rarely, an infection of the fluid and lining tissues surrounding the brain (meningitis).
Now the heartbroken couple say a simple test could have saved their son’s life.
Craig said: “It’s our thought that we want to raise as much awareness as we can.
“We wouldn’t want anyone else going through the hell we’ve been through.”
“Routine screening and wider information on Group B Strep could prevent other parents facing the painful loss that we have sadly experienced.”
GBS, or Strep B, is the most common cause of severe infection in newborns, causing sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis.
On average two babies will develop the infection in the UK every day and, of those, one will die every week, while another will survive but be left with long-term disability.
Craig and Sarah have now set up a memorial fundraising page which has so far raised more than £5,500 in support of two charities.
The first is The Grand Appeal, which funds Bristol Children’s Hospital – including the Watch ambulance service that transferred Ezrah to hospital.
The second is Group B Strep Support, a charity working to eradicate the infection in babies.
“We are heartbroken that we have lost our little boy and our future with him.
“We miss him beyond belief.
“Ezrah remains a bright shining light in our memories; he was so loved and will forever be missed”, they added.
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