I watched my baby boy die in my arms after he caught a common virus – here are the 11 signs every parent must know
ALL seemed well when baby Hudson Oliver Roebuck was born in late June.
But the newborn fell ill with just days after he was allowed to go home with his parents to their Stockport home.
To Georgia and Paul’s utter heartbreak, little Hudson passed away in his mum’s arms at just five weeks old on August 4, after falling victim to a common virus.
The tot returned to hospital just days after settling in with his mum and dad, after he fell ill with suspected jaundice.
When his health took a turn for the worse just two days later, doctors rushed him to to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where he was placed in an induced coma for nine days.
The newborn boy suffered three haemorrhages in that time.
As baby Hudson’s condition continued to deteriorate, he developed an immune deficiency disorder that left him unable to fight off enterovirus.
Enteroviruses are a group of common viruses that usually only cause mild illnesses, mostly in babies, children and teens.
But newborns are more at risk of severe complications and even death because of their immature immune systems.
Mum Georgia, 27, told Manchester Evening News : “It was just so painful. It’s a pain I will never, ever forget. It turned our lives upside down. It shouldn’t have happened. We had some time with him when they took the tubes out and he passed away in our arms.”
She said little Hudson had fought hard to stay alive: “We call him a warrior because he’s just amazing, all the [hospital staff] said that to us.
“You’ve got to be really proud of him because he didn’t give up. I kept saying, ‘You don’t have to keep fighting for mummy. If you’re ready, just go’.”
Georgia already has a son and daughter and Saul has daughter too – but Hudson was the first child they welcomed together.
“I’ve gone back to being mum and I’m trying to carry on, but it’ll take time,” Georgia said. “He touched so many lives.”
A fundraiser set up to help Saul and Georgia with Hudson’s funeral costs has raised more than £4,000.
What are the signs of enterovirus?
Most people infected with an enterovirus will experience no symptoms at all, or only mild, flu-like symptoms which go away after a few days.
According to Cedars Sinai hospital, symptoms can include:
- fever
- muscle aches
- sore throat
- runny nose
- sneezing
- coughing
- trouble breathing
- nausea and vomiting
- diarrhea
- red sores in the mouth, and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet (hand-foot-and-mouth disease)
- red rash over large areas of the body
Some enteroviruses – like polio – can be more severe and cause more serious illness.
The polio vaccine is part of the UK’s routine childhood vaccine schedule, so most people will be protected against illness.
Some types of enteroviruses can cause inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord – resulting in meningitis – while enterovirus 68 can cause severe symptoms in some children, such as trouble breathing.
How can I protect my child against enteroviruses?
Enteroviruses can be spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs droplets into the air or on surfaces. A child may then breathe in droplets, or touch a contaminated surface and then bring their fingers to their eyes, mouth, or nose.
Some of the viruses can spread through contact with infected faeces. This can happen when children don’t wash their hands or don’t wash them properly.
The best way to protect your tots from getting ill is by teaching them to wash their hands well after going to the toilet and before eating.
It’s also important for you to wash your hands regularly too.