London mum Anna Moynihan’s daughter Cleo was just over two years old when she developed sepsis in April 2022 – while Anna was heavily pregnant with her second child.
Initially, doctors thought it might be Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS), which some children were developing at the time in response to Covid-19.
But then the blood test results came back, and it turned out to be Strep A and RSV, which led to sepsis.
Cleo – rash
Anna said: “What was scary for us as parents was that she was fine. She went to nursery. We had one day’s notice: there was no sign of Strep A, she didn’t go off her food. She didn’t complain of a sore throat.”
UKST Founder & Joint CEO Dr Ron Daniels said: “Watching a child deteriorate with an infection is a cause of sleepless nights for every parent. Cleo’s story reminds us how sepsis can affect children of any age and sometimes lead to very rapid deterioration – whilst parents are conditioned to look for the signs of meningitis, it’s equally important to know the signs of sepsis due to other infections. The key message to parents is to trust their instincts as they know their child better than any health professional. If a child is rapidly deteriorating with an infection, look for the signs of sepsis and seek medical attention urgently: “Just Ask: Could it be sepsis?”
Cleo’s journey to recovery has not been without challenges, but thankfully she is not old enough to know how close her parents came to losing her.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs.
It occurs when the body’s immune system – which normally helps to protect us and fight infection – goes into overdrive. It can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and sometimes death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.
Sepsis is indiscriminate: while it primarily affects very young children and older adults, and is also more common in people with underlying health conditions, it can sometimes be triggered in those who are otherwise fit and healthy.
In the UK alone, 245,000 people are affected by sepsis with at least 48,000 people losing their lives in sepsis-related illnesses every year. This is more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined.
Anna has decided to share Cleo’s story to help make other parents aware of the symptoms, and empower them to advocate for their children by remembering to Just Ask: Could it be sepsis?
