A six-year-old boy who died before being found in the bathroom by his mother had contracted strep A infection, an inquest has heard. Jamie Lee Morgan found her son Brodie-Lee at their home in Newbridge on November 8, 2022.
Rugby-loving Brodie was pronounced dead at 7.36am on the morning of November 8 despite the best efforts of emergency services including officers from Gwent Police and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service. The inquest heard that medics are satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.
On November 11, 2022, Dr Andrew Bamber, pathologist at North Bristol NHS Trust, carried out a post-mortem examination of Brodie Lee’s body. He notified the coroner of an advisory medical cause of death as group A streptococcal sepsis, also known as strep A. Five children in Wales have died from strep A infection since September 12.
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In the days following his passing Brodie’s family set up a fundraising page to support Jamie Lee Morgan, who was a single mother before she lost her only child. Brodie’s family said he was “very outgoing” and a “most loved little boy”.
They said: “Brodie was very outgoing. He absolutely loved going out to play with his friends and looked forward to going to school to see his friends. He had recently started doing taekwondo and Spanish lessons after school which he thoroughly enjoyed and was excited to keep doing. He played rugby for Oakdale RFC, which he loved training for and playing games on a Sunday. He supported Liverpool in football and loved Mo Salah. When he was at home he loved to be on his Xbox gaming with his friends and family. He couldn’t wait to go up to his nanny and bampi every Friday for Chinese Fridays as he absolutely loved his food.
“Brodie shared his years with his mum Jamie Lee who brought him up to be the most beautiful little boy the world had the utmost pleasure of knowing, never leaving his side and supporting him each other every step of the way, as the bestest of friends. Brodie has been the most loved little boy anyone could imagine and with the support of Jamie Lee’s friends and family we can help her cope with the devastating impact the situation has had on her life.”
Senior coroner for Gwent Caroline Saunders adjourned the inquest for further reports until later in the year. At least 40 children have died from strep A in the UK in recent months. England has recorded 32 deaths in children under the age of 18, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, while Wales has recorded five deaths and Scotland has recorded three deaths.
Dr Derren Ready, incident director at the UK Health Security Agency, said: "Although the number of scarlet fever notifications we are seeing each week has significantly fallen since the peak in December the bacteria that cause the infection are still circulating at high levels for this time of the year. Please contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect you or your child have scarlet fever – with symptoms such as fever, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and a sandpapery rash. Early treatment of scarlet fever with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of a more serious infection and transmission to others. After starting antibiotics children should be excused from school or nursery and adults should be excused from work for the first 24 hours."
Dr Colin Brown, deputy director of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "We are seeing a higher number of cases of froup A strep this year than usual. The bacteria usually causes a mild infection producing sore throats or scarlet fever that can be easily treated with antibiotics. In very rare circumstances this bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness – called invasive group A strep (iGAS).
"This is still uncommon. However it is important that parents are on the lookout for symptoms and see a doctor as quickly as possible so that their child can be treated and we can stop the infection becoming serious. Make sure you talk to a health professional if your child is showing signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection."
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