Little girl will lose fingers and toes after contracting meningococcal
An eight-month-old girl will lose her fingers and could lose her legs after contracting meningococcal.
The life of little Tahlea, from Geraldton in Western Australia, has changed forever – and now her family want all parents to know that free vaccines are available.
When Tahlea’s mother Chelsea Cocking found her daughter looking sick and pale, she knew something was wrong and rushed her straight to hospital.
“She was purple in forty minutes,” Ms Cocking said. “It just attacked her body overnight.”
Tahlea had contracted the W strain of meningococcal.
She will lose her fingers and toes, and could lose her legs. She has suffered brain damage and has been having seizures.
It won’t be known exactly how badly she has been affected for another six months.
“It was really really scary to watch it happen to your happy, healthy child,” Ms Cocking said.
“And it’s just it took the innocence out of her, and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else’s kid.”
In Western Australia, 45 per cent of children aged between one and four are not vaccinated against the A, C, W and Y strains of meningococcal.
A free vaccination program for that age group has been available since January, and on Tuesday it was announced that the program will be extended for another year.
“I think it’s just a matter of parents aren’t aware of it and so we’ll be following this up with a social media campaign and other awareness exercises,” Health Minister Roger Cook said.
Because Tahlea is under one year old, she wouldn’t have been eligible for the free vaccine, but that hasn’t stopped her mother from urging all parents with children aged between one and four years old to get their children vaccinated.
“They told me to say goodbye to her, and she’s still here, so that’s all we can ask for,” Ms Cocking said.
