Grieving parents share final pictures of son just before he died of meningitis
Oliver passed away from the bacterial infection last October
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Your support makes all the difference.The grieving parents of a six-year-old boy who died from meningitis B have shared the final images of their son in hospital as a warning to others.
Oliver Hall, from Halesworth, Suffolk, sadly died just 24 hours after contracting the bacterial infection, which mainly affects babies and children.
Now, his parents, Georgie, 37, and Bryan, 43, are speaking for the first time since his death last October, and are calling for all children to be vaccinated.
While the couple insist that medics at James Paget University Hospital, Norfolk, “did everything they could” to save their son’s life, they are piling the pressure on the Government to get all children protected from the deadly strain of the disease.
A meningitis B vaccine is currently available to children up to the age of one, however the Government last year said making it available to all children was “not cost effective.”
This is despite one in 10 of the 3,200 cases of the bacterial meningitis in the UK proving fatal every year, with one in three left with permanent disabilities.
As such, Oliver’s parents say that extending the program to include older children could save lives and want to meet with health secretary Jeremy Hunt to voice their concerns
“The government are saying it is not cost effective to vaccinate more children against this disease.
“Meningitis Now, the charity that we are working with, are arguing that point.
“Our main goal is to help them to get this vaccination rolled out to more children.”
In memory of their son, the young boy’s parents have set up the Oliver Hall Forever Fund tribute website, which is supporting Meningitis Now, and have raised more than £4,000 so far.
“To see that total going up makes it feel that Oliver's life was not in vain.”
While meningitis B most often strikes children under the age of one, it’s important to recognise the symptoms in all youngsters, which can include cold hands, confusion, headaches and a rash.
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