Donations pour in for family of baby girl suffering 'worst case' of meningitis C in 25 years

Donations are pouring in for the family of a 10-month-old girl who will have all her limbs amputated after contracting Meningitis C, a strain thought to be eradicated among babies.

Kia Gott has already had her right arm removed and could lose the rest of her limbs as well as her hearing and sight.

More than £10,000 has been raised on a JustGiving page to support the family who have two other children Kayden, aged eight, and four-year-old Elsie.

At 10 months old, Kia was just two months away from receiving the MenC vaccine which until last year was given to babies at 12 weeks.

The NHS stopped giving the vaccine in July 2016 due to the success of the vaccination programme and almost no cases of the disease in babies and young children.

It now offers a combined Hib infection and Meningitis C vaccine at a child’s first birthday.

Specialists at Leeds General Infirmary, as reported in the Telegraph and Argus, have said baby Kia’s case is “the worst they have seen in 25 years”.

When first taken to hospital doctors had to drill into her shin to administer medication as her veins had collapsed.

The family from Wyke in Yorkshire have been told, if she recovers, she will lose her arms and legs, her sight, hearing and will be 90% brain damaged.

Vikki Gott, 30, has not left her baby daughter’s side since she was rushed to intensive care four weeks ago with meningococcal septicemia.

She is now off a ventilator and, although sedated, she is breathing by herself.

Kia has already had her right arm removed and is due to have one of her legs amputated on Monday.

Donna Gott, the aunt of Kia’s father Paul, said the family were grateful for the support from the donations and online well-wishers as well as being desperate to warn other parents about the dangers of meninigitis.

Two days before Kia fell ill she had been at her older siblings’ school at the Shirley Manor Primary Academy for a family photo.

Mrs Gott said later that week Kia’s mum took her to her GP as the little girl “was not herself”.

She had a temperature of 38.5C, she had been jerking in her sleep and was lethargic when awake. Vikki Gott also noticed a couple of spots on her chest.

Hospital consultants have since told the family the GP would not have been able to detect meningitis at this time.

Kia did not get excited when her father Paul came home from work which the family said was unusual.

Donna Gott said: “They stayed up with her until midnight, then went to bed.

"At 2am the next morning Paul woke with a start, just instinct and he went to check on her, put on the light and saw her face, neck and chest was covered in the rash.

“He told me ‘I screamed, I knew what it was.’”

Kia went into cardiac arrest and was then rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary where her family were told she was not likely to survive.

She was then transferred to Leeds General Infirmary for specialist care.

The family still have hope and believe she is responding to them when her sister sings nursery rhymes.

Mrs Gott said: “She is yawning, moving her head and her arm.

“Because she is on so many drugs at the moment it is hard to do the tests they need to find out for sure but they will keep monitoring her.”

Kia’s siblings are said to be struggling and only seeing their mother at weekends while their father is still working as a self-employed window fitter to pay bills.