Children's author Michael Rosen, whose son Eddie tragically died from meningitis in 1999, has urged the public to meticulously check for the infection's tell-tale rash, particularly in less obvious areas, following a recent outbreak in Kent.
The 79-year-old, renowned for works such as We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, spoke out as the number of cases being investigated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the region rose to 20.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rosen stressed the importance of thorough checks.
"The rash, look everywhere if there’s any doubt whatsoever, look everywhere," he advised. "Don’t be intrusive, obviously, but armpits, not so intrusive, ask your teenagers to look at their groin, and the glass test is effective, it’s absolutely effective."
The glass test involves pressing a tumbler firmly against a skin rash; if the rash does not fade or disappear, the NHS advises calling 999 immediately.
Rosen recounted the devastating morning when he found 18-year-old Eddie, who had been suffering from what appeared to be flu, unresponsive in his bed. He explained that the rash, often assumed to be visible on arms or the chest, can be hidden.
"But I only found out when Eddie had died, that the rash, the only place it appeared was in his armpits," he said. "So by and large, you don’t, when somebody’s ill, say, ‘let me look at your armpits’, and with teenagers, you don’t say, ‘let me look in your groin’, obviously, because it’s a private matter, but it can also appear on the soles of your feet."
Eddie had been put to bed after taking ibuprofen and paracetamol, and was dead by morning.
"I mean, it really was that quick, and if I dare, I say simple, that I went in, in the morning, and he was lying on his back. I said, ‘Eddie, I’ve got to go to work now, Eddie’, he didn’t reply, and then I felt him and then immediately realised he was dead."
He added: "Hoping that he wasn’t, (I) rang for the ambulance guys to come over, they told me to pull him out of the bed, and he had rigor mortis by then. His arm was in the air, I pulled him onto the floor, some fluid came out of his mouth, and then the ambulance guys arrived about four or five minutes later, immediately said he’s dead, that was that. (It) was really all that abrupt and terrifying."
Rosen believes Eddie’s death was a "contributing factor" to the introduction of the MenC vaccine, which combats the C variant of meningitis, in 1999 – the year his son died.
In response to the recent Kent outbreak, GPs have been instructed to prescribe antibiotics to anyone who visited a nightclub in Canterbury between March 5-7, as well as students from the University of Kent.
Meningitis, an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, is most common in babies, young children, teenagers, and young adults, and can be fatal if not treated swiftly.
According to the NHS, symptoms include a high temperature, vomiting, headache, rash, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, drowsiness or unresponsiveness, and seizures.
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