Mystery illness scarlet fever
Jessica Wauchop
GISBORNE five-year-old William Hughes, who is fighting for his life in Starship Hospital, has been diagnosed as having scarlet fever.
Overnight, doctors identified the bacteria after growing cultures from swabs. They began to wean William off drugs he did not need and treat the streptococcus A bacteria, said his mother Ruth Hughes.
“Certainly we have a long way to go and we are not out of the woods yet, but at least we know what we are dealing with now.
“William is still on life support and will be kept sedated for some time yet while the doctors work their magic.
“Like us, I’m sure many people would be amazed that anyone still gets scarlet fever,” said Mrs Hughes.
“The reason William is so sick from this is that the bacteria seems to be deep-set in his stomach, which is highly unusual.
“Every child reacts to bugs in different ways and William did not react well to the toxins.
“His body went in to ‘toxic shock’ and his organs started to become affected.”
William’s quick transfer to Starship Hospital meant the bacteria might have been caught in time, said Mrs Hughes.
“The team here are beyond amazing and we have the paediatrician at Gisborne, Hein Stander to thank for that as he made the call to get him moved.
“It’s really fingers crossed now for a few days but we really would like to say an enormous ‘thank you’ for all the messages we have received from everyone wishing us luck.”
William started to feel ill last Friday at school, complaining of a sore stomach.
The illness progressed quickly and on Sunday night he was flown to Starship Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Mr and Mrs Hughes and their two other children have been staying in Ronald McDonald House this week.