Woman fighting for life in Melbourne with severe meningitis after scratch from stray kitten
A 22-year-old British woman is fighting for her life in Melbourne after she was scratched by a stray kitten contracting a rare strain of meningitis.
Scarlet Goodrich, from Devon in the UK, was working on a fruit farm in Victoria when she is believed to have picked up the complex strain of toxin from the scratch and developed severe back pain.
She was taken to hospital last month where doctors revealed she has bacterial meningitis and swelling of the brain.
"Her recovery will be slow, and at least six months," her uncle, Christian Goodrich, wrote on a Just Giving page.
"Because of the severity and rarity of what she's going through, she is being kept on ICU until doctors see any improvement."
Ms Goodrich's aunt has travelled from Auckland in New Zealand, and her mother is on her way from the UK to be by her side.
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Doctors believe the 22-year-old contracted the rare infection from a stray cat on the farm, Daily Mail reported.
On Saturday, Ms Goodrich's uncle said his niece has had her breathing tube removed and the nurses were happy with her progress.
"Scarlet's circumstances are still very serious, nonetheless it's good to have some positive signs of progress today," he wrote.
"She's acknowledging she's in hospital, nodding, squeezing with her hand and opening her eyes.
"Scarlet in herself seems a lot more calm.
"Full results of the biopsy are still inconclusive and the bone marrow test has been put back so that doctors can prioritise keeping the swelling on the brain at bay (which is now being constantly monitored)."
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