Acute meningitis: brain-and-spinal-cord membranes inflamed; fever, headache, neck stiffness.
A five-month-old girl, Esta High, died in November 2023 at Leeds General Infirmary from streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis. An inquest concluded that neglect contributed to her death after doctors clung to a Covid diagnosis for too long, and opportunities to test and treat sooner were missed. The family described long, missed opportunities during a 15-hour CAT unit stay.
UK immunisation coverage shows signs of stabilising among children starting primary school, but latest data reveal uptake for several vaccines remains below the 95% target set by the WHO. The UK Health Security Agency reports small year-to-year declines in several shots, with regional gaps and disparities in deprived areas. NHS continues offering vaccines free of charge from infancy onward.
A Cambridge study finds that newborn girls spend more time watching a human face than boys do when shown side-by-side with a toy. The difference is present in infants aged eight hours to three days, suggesting biology and prenatal hormones may influence early attention patterns, though researchers caution the results don’t predict long-term development.