THE mum of a miracle tot who fought meningitis at just four-months-old is urging parents to take health concerns seriously as charity Meningitis Now fears they maybe a complacent attitude towards the deadly illness.

Little George Butler was just four-and-half-months-old when pneumococcal meningitis took hold - but now aged three, mum Bethan Butler says he is now thriving.

Quarterly data released by Public Health England has shown that cases of the disease are at their lowest since records began. During the quarter April to June 2020, all cases of meningitis dropped to 29 compared to 121 for the same period in 2019; a drop of 76 per cent.

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George’s mum Bethan Butler, who is originally from Barrow but lives in Millom, said: “I hope that people do remain vigilant. As a parent I think my advice is if your child has a really high temperature, I think it is so important to take them to the doctors or to the hospital. I know it is really tricky at the moment, and I was always the parent that always said ‘I don’t want to bother them’ - but I am so glad that I did with George.

“Children are amazingly resilient – as adults we love to whine, but they sort of take a lot in their stride, especially babies they can’t tell you what is wrong. Even if you feel quite silly and like the most overreacting parent in the world, it is better to be overreacting and embarrassed than for things to get much worse.

“George is now a little monkey, he’s learning to talk and sign really well. Obviously being deaf delays speech, but he is quite chatty for a deaf boy.! He has been very lucky.”

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Meningitis Now, CEO, Dr Tom Nutt, urges parents and adults to remain vigilant and not to assume that meningitis has gone away.

He said: “While these numbers are good to see, we have some real concerns about people becoming complacent about meningitis. This disease has not gone away, and it is still a real and present threat, particularly MenB, which is most prevalent amongst those who are most at risk, babies, teenagers, and older adults.

“While we would normally see an increase in cases at this time of year, the Covid dimension and the advice to self-isolate could be disastrous if the illness is due to meningitis, which can take a life in 24 hours.”

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