Stella-Lilly McCorkindale is the ninth child to die from the infection in the UK
A devastated dad says he took his daughter to A&E three times before she tragically died of Strep A.
Robert McCorkindale, from Belfast, told the Mirror his “amazing” daughter started feeling unwell on the weekend of November 26th with a cold and temperature.
He said he brought her to the hospital three times in three days before she was admitted to ICU, but by then it was too late.
Stella-Lilly tragically passed away on Tuesday (December 6th).
The latest death comes as an outbreak of Srep A has left parents across the country worried for their children.
They have been urged to look out for sore throats that can start very quickly, pain when swallowing and red and swollen tonsils.
A review is being conducted into Stella-Lilly’s care and the hospital has offered to meet with her family.
McCorkindale said: “I think she would have had two extra days of fighting. They should have tested her for Strep A on the Monday [November 28], by the time they induced her Stella had given up.”
He has paid tribute to his daughter saying she was “kind and caring and thoughtful”.
“She was a great child, parents came up to me all the time saying they wished their children were like Stella-Lilly. Everyone that met her loved her.
“She is amazing. She didn’t like it when children played alone and when she is around she was with them. She is so kind and caring and thoughtful. “She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters so she treated all of her friends as such.”
When he first took Stella-Lilly to Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children she was too ill to walk.
McCorkindale said he was told by doctors she was dehydrated.
By November 30th, Stella-Lilly’s condition had severely deteriorated.
Her father said: “By 5pm on Wednesday Stella had said ‘mummy, I feel like I’m dying’. and so we took her back. I shouted at them that we were not going anywhere until we saw a doctor.
“In 15 minutes, this doctor ordered tests and found she had a chest infection and they said ‘we think this is toxic shock now’. They weren’t 100 per cent sure it was Strep A, and they feared it was sepsis too because the blood was infected. The blood culture came back for a Strep A a few hours later.”
McCorkindale said that once his daughter was admitted staff went “above and beyond for her”.
In a separate case, a mum whose two children have Strep A has warned parents of the signs.
Aimee Byron, 22, a stay-at-home mum said son Jamie Jones, three, became tired and started screaming in pain, holding his head saying he had “tickles in his throat”.
It was covered in white big spots and doctors told Aimee he was suffering from tonsillitis, she said.
But after a few days of suffering, she took him back to the GP where he was diagnosed with strep A and taken to hospital for treatment.
Jamie had a sore throat, large glands, was drowsy and holding his ears, couldn’t swallow drinks and wasn’t passing urine.
