A MOTHER whose son was left with serious hearing problems after contracting pneumococcal meningitis is spearheading a new campaign to raise parents' awareness of the symptoms.

Gillian Barrows is convinced if her son Liam had been diagnosed earlier then he might not have suffered moderate to severe deafness.

The Meningitis Research Foundation has launched its Baby Watch Awareness Campaign because cases of meningitis and septicaemia are at a 50-year- high in the UK.

Liam, eight, contracted the potentially fatal brain bug when he was 17 months old when the family lived in Bolton-le-Sands.

Gillian, 36, of Higham, said: "We were at home for 12 hours after being told it was just a virus. I was in constant contact with the doctor but it was only when he had a big fit and it was such an unnatural movement we knew it was very serious."

Liam was fitting when he was taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary, but it was difficult to them to confirm that he was suffering from meningitis.

Gillian said: "They isolated him and started to treat him straight away with suspected meningitis.

"He was in a coma for 11 days. We are do lucky to have him."

Gillian, a member and fund-raiser for the Meningitis Research Foundation, is appealing for parents to be conscious of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and also to be aware that only one or two signs may be evident when the illness is starting.

She advised parents who were concerned to take their child straight to the casualty department of their nearest hospital and not wait for a GP to diagnose the disease. "My advice is don't wait," she stressed.

Gillian, who works as a special support assistant at Casterton and Wellfield Church Schools, and husband Ian, a bank manager, realise how lucky they are to have Liam.

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