- Nicole Murphy, from Stourport, developed chickenpox in December 2013
- Her father, Aaron, checked on her several times during the night
- At about 3am he found her unresponsive and not breathing
- She was rushed to hospital where she tragically died on December 27
- A coroner recorded a verdict of death by unknown natural causes
- It is thought the illness might have triggered a fit
08:36 EST, 21 March 2014
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09:33 EST, 21 March 2014
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A healthy seven-year-old girl died suddenly just hours after developing chickenpox.
Nicole Murphy’s heartbroken parents are now warning others to be aware of the danger of the common illness.
Nicole’s lifeless body was found by her distraught father Aaron, 29, just 24 hours after she broke out in spots on December 27 last year.
Nicole Murphy, seven, died after developing chickenpox. It is thought the illness might have triggered a fit
An inquest heard he had checked on his
daughter several times during the night but found her unresponsive and
not breathing in her bed at about 3am.
She was rushed from her home in Stourport, Worcestershire, to Worcestershire Royal Hospital by ambulance where she tragically died.
Stourport Coroners’ Court heard yesterday how her death may have been triggered by a fit brought on by the chickenpox.
But Worcestershire deputy coroner Marguerite Elcock concluded Nicole died of unknown natural causes.
A pathologist was unable to provide an exact cause of death.
After the hearing, Mr Murphy and his partner, Clare Rush, 29, spoke of their loss and told how they wanted to raise awareness of the complications that can be caused by the virus.
A coroner recorded a verdict of death by unknown natural causes
Mr Murphy said: ‘We need more awareness that chickenpox is not just a harmless childhood illness.
‘I had no idea it could cause the shut-down of organs, I thought the worst thing was it’ll scar if you scratch them.
‘I just can’t comprehend how my daughter could have died of something that doctors describe as a simple illness.
‘Nicole had been suffering quite badly and over the night, I kept hearing heavy breathing on the monitor and checking she was okay.
‘She seemed to be just sleeping, but on the last time I came back to check I found she wasn’t breathing. We did what we could.
‘We came here looking for answers but we still don’t really know for sure how she had died.
‘My son is missing her massively. The children have become clingy, they try and cheer me up over it, but it’s so hard for all of us.’
Ms Rush, a carer, added: ‘I’ve heard of parents deliberately holding chickenpox parties where they bring their children into others who have the virus because they say it is better to get it as a child than an adult.
‘But I hope this might urge others to think twice about these sort of things.
‘She only broke out in spots the day before and we gave her Calpol like the doctors told us to do. But within 24 hours she was dead.
‘We are absolutely heartbroken that we have lost our little girl but we don’t want other mums and dads to go through the same.’
The inquest heard how Nicole had been developed chickenpox, along with her sister Jenna, two, and five-year-old brother, Preston.
In 2008 Fabio Alves-Nunes, five, died after suffering from a severe bout of chickenpox
But unlike her siblings, Nicole
suffered a severe bout of the illness and was heard to have heavy
breathing by her father who checked on her through the night.
Paediatric
pathologist Dr Nikola Ostojic said he could not confirm the cause of
Nicole’s death but did say there was some evidence of pneumonia and a
cyst in her brain.
Mr Murphy sobbed during the hearing as the coroner told him he had done everything he could to help her.
She said: ‘Things came to a head when she stopped breathing and you had to call an ambulance.
Fabio died of multiple organ failure after he developed toxic shock, a type of blood poisoning
‘That happened quickly – from being a generally poorly child with chickenpox to stopping breathing.
‘You
did absolutely everything you could to get some help, but
unfortunately, having been taken to hospital, Nicole could not be saved.
‘It may be that Nicole was very poorly with chickenpox and as a result she may have had an epileptic fit.’
Nicole was not the first child to die after developing chickenpox.
In 2008, five-year-old Fabio Alves-Nunes died after suffering from the illness.
He developed the illness very severely and died of multiple organ failure after he developed toxic shock, a type of blood poisoning.
Chickenpox is usually a mild but infectious disease.
It takes seven to 21 days for the symptoms to show after infection and people are infectious from two days before the rash appears until roughly five days after.
Around 95 per cent of children catch chickenpox before the age of 16, and for most it’s a mild illness leading to itching, blisters and sometimes a high temperature
After having chickenpox the body usually develops an immunity, which stops people getting it again.
Most doctors recommend rest and lotion to soothe itchy spots.
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
cassandra,
illinois,
1 hour ago
That’s crazy that the vaccine isn’t offered over there and is so expensive. Kids here can’t go to school without it and its a lot cheaper!
Mrs Bennet,
North Yorkshire,
1 hour ago
Chicken pox should never be taken lightly. A few years ago we took our 3 daughters (twins at 5 and a just 1 yr old) to the doctors when they got worse after a couple of days. The spots were everywhere and very deep but the doctor fobbed off with ‘It’s just chicken pox, everyone has it, it’s nothing serious’. One of the the twins took a turn for the worst in the evening and my 1 yr old went floppy in the night. We dashed into AE and they were put on antibiotics. We were fortunate but the girls still have dreadful scars. Our two younger daughters got it last October (3 and 2 yrs old). The younger one was very poorly and when we started getting worried, we didn’t bother with the GP and went straight to AE. Again, the hospital said we did the right thing. Don’t get me started on ‘chicken pox parties’…
Lily,
AnyTown, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
My 10 month old daughter had chickenpox and became severely ill within hours. She had a raging fever and a productive cough but it took 2 visits to GP’s, 3 visits to A E and 1 week before they finally believed me that my daughter was very ill. It turned out she had double pneumonia! So very sorry for your loss.
avroshackeltonaewtwo,
york, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
This is a “VERY GOOD REASON†to stop immigration, but will our politicians listen ? …..â€NO†that,s why this little girl has died from a curable virus !……and more to the point “Why no vaccination program?â€â€¦so much for being a “RICH AND ADVANCED COUNTRY !â€.
Aletheia,
Gloucester, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
The article states that you become immune to chicken pox which is complete rubbish. You actually end up with the virus lying dormant in your nervous system and in later life it sometimes comes back as shingles. Someone with shingles can then pass on the virus as chicken pox to somebody who has never had chicken pox before.
MMM,
PUTNEY, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
This is why we paid for our child to be vaccinated privately – the best 130 ever spent… A midwife told me the “truth†about chicken pox after I was invited to a chicken pox party. She opened my eyes to the fact it could be deadly and told me I should keep my 9 month daughter well away. The NHS can’t get everyone in for the MMR that’s why they won’t offer it – they figure if we won’t bring our kids in for that – why would we for chicken pox, when most of us had it as children and survived.
Joybell,
London,
1 hour ago
Just tragic – god bless.
DinoMumExpat,
St Louis,
1 hour ago
How utterly heartbreaking, especially as all kids here in the US are routinely vaccinated against it. When is the NHS going to start doing the same? Rest in peace little one, my thoughts are with her poor family.
Dolly Dagger,
Chelters, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
I’m convinced my son got type 1 diabetes at just 3 years old after having contracted Chickenpox justthe year before. I didn’t realise it was so serious and children have died from it, why were we never told how serious it was?
anng53,
cheshire, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
Life is so cruel hope they find strength in one another,i am sure she will be near them if she can.
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