The family of a toddler who "didn't have an immune system" say he died after contracting a disease which 70 per cent of children catch by the age of three. Raffy Holliday passed away aged three after contracting herpes, his parents said.
Following his death at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), they are now campaigning to increase testing for the human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in hospitals. About 70 per cent of children contract HHV-6B by the age of three, but most develop a natural immunity which prevents further reinfection, The Mirror reports.
However reactivation of the virus is common in transplant patients and can be fatal for those with weakened immune systems. Raffy passed died after suffering inflammation of the brain caused by HHV-6B.
