Yahoo News Mother ‘begged hospital not to discharge baby son hours before meningitis death’, inquest hears
A mother says she begged hospital staff not to discharge her baby son just hours before he died of meningitis.
Three-month-old Mohammad Aldmour was taken by ambulance to Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester in September 2018, but was sent home after being diagnosed with a cold virus.
However, when his condition failed to improve at home, he was rushed back to hospital that night, dying of meningitis and sepsis a short time later.
His mother, Muna Aburizeq, told the inquest into his death at South Manchester Coroner’s Court that she pleaded with staff to keep him in hospital after the first visit, the Manchester Evening News (MEN) reported.
She said: "We went into a cubicle. He was in pain. He was crying.
"A lady opposite me said, 'What the hell is wrong with that baby?' I said, 'I don't know, I'm doing my best to calm him down'.
"A doctor came to me and said, ‘He’s got a cold'. I was worried about his lungs because he was not breathing properly. You can't argue with a doctor, you just trust the doctors.
"She said he's just got a virus, a cold virus. "A nurse came in, she said Mohammad was fine, we're going to discharge him.
"I begged her not to send me home. I said, ‘He's not right' look at him."
Mrs Aburizeq, from Hyde, said: "I want justice for Mohammad and I don't want any mother to suffer the way that I've suffered.
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"I'm a normal mum, probably a bit anxious but that's not just me. I just want justice. He was in so much pain."
Her son had fallen ill on the afternoon of Monday, 10 September 2018.
After taking his temperature after he started vomited, she found it was over 38C. His lips were blue and he was pale, the inquest heard.
She telephoned 111 who advised her to call ambulance.
At the hospital, a nurse found that Mohammad’s temperature was 39C and his heart rate was considerably higher than normal.
The inquest heard from Mohammad’s health visitor, who said he was a “beautiful lovely little baby” who was “thriving, happy and sociable”.
The inquest was told that he had already had his first vaccination against meningitis B when he was eight weeks old and would have had a second jab when he was 16 weeks old, but died before he reached that age.
A post-mortem examination found that Mohammad had the “meningitis rash” all over his face, chest, abdomen and back, as well as on some of his limbs. His organs were also found to be covered in the rash.
The inquest, which is being heard in front of a jury, is expected to continue into next week.
