Meningitis case study: "We thought it was just a sickness bug"

Alan Glynn, 32, from Perth, lost his 19-month-old daughter Alexis Rose in February 2011. Her sister, Christina, survived the same disease

Alan Glynn, 32, from Perth, lost his 19-month-old daughter Alexis Rose in February 2011.

"Alexis and her twin sister Christina became ill on the Saturday. By the Sunday they were vomiting, so we took them to the hospital, who said we needed to give them Calpol and water. On the Wednesday my wife went back to work. On the Thursday we spoke to a local GP, who said if they were eating then they were getting better. The girls were fine when we put them to bed on Friday evening. They didn’t even have a temperature.

“On the Saturday morning Alexis was quiet. She’d passed away in her bed overnight. We hadn’t taken them to hospital because we thought it was just a sickness bug. In the days after, we were in shock. Christina recovered. She’s three now and is in nursery. I’m over the moon about the vaccine, but I’m not naïve. It’s a long way off because it’s a deadly disease. It’s an ongoing battle.”