A four-year-old girl who was left fighting for her life after contracting a bacterial infection that has killed at least nine others has come off the ventilator but is still battling the illness.
Camila Rose Burns, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, is now breathing independently without the need for mechanical support after contracting a Strep A infection just over a week ago, which progressed into a potentially life-threatening invasive disease.
Despite Camila’s progress, she is still fighting the infection and her chest has not fully cleared. She remains in intensive care, and is still on lots of medication, including dialysis, along with other support while her organs recover.
Her family say she is also suffering the impacts of sepsis, but will not know what the long-term impacts of their daughter’s illness are until she returns to full health.
Camilia’s parents, Dean and Kaye Burns, told The Bolton News: “As you can imagine being off the ventilator is a massive improvement, but she is still extremely poorly.
“We have still not made it to the ‘safety’ of being out of intensive care.
“We are praying for her to continue to get better and for her body to recover so she can get back to playing at home with her family.
“Thank you so, so much for all your prayers and we ask that you please keep praying.”
The newspaper also cited Camila’s parents as saying they have been “overwhelmed” by the donations given to support the Burns family via a GoFundMe page to support them through the “nightmare”.
Health authorities say there has been an increase in cases of Strep A-related invasive disease this year.
At least nine children in Britain are believed to have died from the infection in recent weeks.
The four-year-old’s mother described the situation previously as a “constant terror” and “black cloud hanging over the family.”
Dean Burns, her father, earlier told Sky News about the family’s agony as Camila suddenly fell ill.
“To go from dancing on Friday night with her friends to a little bit under the weather on Saturday and then a bit more bad on Sunday, she’s basically not the same girl anymore,” he said last week.
There was a sickness bug going around Camila‘s school and she complained about her chest hurting, Mr Burns said.
Camila was taken to hospital last Saturday where she was prescribed an inhaler and told she could go home - but her health deteriorated a day later.
After being taken back to hospital, Camila needed life-saving intervention.
Most people who come into contact with Strep A bacteria remain well and symptom-free.
The bacteria can, however, cause many different infections, including the skin infection impetigo and strep throat, as well as scarlet fever.
Strep A can also in rare cases cause the life-threatening invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS).
