Mum's warning after tiny mark turns out to be deadly disease

A mother's quick-thinking when noticing a tiny mark on her baby's leg has potentially saved the child's life.

When noticing the rash on her baby's leg, she pressed on it to see if it was blanching, which is when it changes colour after being pressed and then returns back to the rash colour.

However when it remained the same, she rushed her daughter to hospital and found out it was meningococcal disease which, according to Health Direct, can kill within hours.

After sharing her story with Tiny Hearts Education — a first-aid service for parents — the organisation issued a warning to other parents by demonstrating the life-saving technique in a video.

"A good way to check for this is by using a clear glass and rolling it over the rash," the organisation said on their Instagram. "If the rash turns white that means it blanches. A non-blanching rash doesn’t turn white when pressed on.

"If the rash is non-blanching it means there is bleeding beneath the skin and there are tests that should be done to rule out anything serious causing this."

According to professor and chair of dermatology, Adam Friedman, blanching on darker skin is "harder" to recognise, telling TODAY that what may appear as a red or purple rash on white skin, may appear as brown, black or off-white one on darker skin.

What can cause non-blanching rashes on skin?

In terms of what can cause non-blanching rashes, Tiny Hearts Education detailed "serious conditions" such as meningococcal, Group A Strep and immune thrombocytopenia.

A vaccine is available for meningococcal bacteria, which can spread through coughing, sneezing, sharing utensils and kissing. In most cases, children under five are affected however it can happen to people of all ages as well.

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Many people commended the organisation for sharing the tip, with some saying they've "never seen a rash checked with a glass".

"I knew about non blanching rashes being a red flag but no idea why. Thanks!" one person said.

"A rash may be harder to see on darker complexions, but I would say to check areas closer to the palms and soles of the feet. I hope this helps!" another parent commented.

"My 6yo had a small non blanching rash on his arm with no other symptoms, so because of the information you post about this, we took him to the hospital...turned out he had bacterial strep throat!" a third commented.

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