Jax Jefferys, aged five, was told he probably had the flu but later “couldn’t feel his legs” and “bled from the eyes” before tragically dying, a coroner’s court heard
A five-year-old boy tragically died from an invasive Group A Strep infection after he was discharged from hospital despite having a typical sign, an inquest heard.
Jax Jefferys was sent home but hours later he told his mum, Charlene McCormack, that he couldn’t feel his legs. As his family drove back to A&E he began bleeding from his eyes and mouth and then stopped breathing.
The mum was forced to give her son CPR in the car, in front of his three older siblings. Doctors attempted to resuscitate Jax, when he arrived at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Portsmouth, but he was sadly pronounced dead less than two hours late, at 10.15pm on December 1, 2022.
An inquest into Jax’s death has heard how the five-year-old had been sick for days but his symptoms were dismissed as croup and then infleunza.
Winchester Coroner’s Court, on Monday, heard that the boy actually had invasive Group A Streptococcus, a severe and potentially life-threatening infection caused by Strep A bacteria. While most Strep A infections are mild – causing a rash, called scarlet fever ,which can be cured with antibiotics – the severe infection Jax had happens when the bacteria enter normally sterile parts of the body, such as the bloodstream, deep tissues, or lungs.
A nurse had highlighted a rash “over his back, his neck and his face” but his mum said it “was never mentioned again”. Ms McCormack told the inquest: “I didn’t think I was being listened to. I was very concerned about Jax and how he was presenting.”
Jax had three older siblings and lived with his mum and army sergeant dad Daniel in Waterlooville, Hampshire. The dad had been away in Estonia, on November 27, 2022, and the mum said she had stayed at home with her kids and had a roast.
Ms McCormack said the next morning Jax woke up in the early hours of the morning and was coughing. He had been diagnosed with asthma and she gave him 30 puffs on his inhaler but didn’t stop the coughing. She called 999 at 1:05am, paramedics arrived at 1:22am and they called 111 at 3am for advice.
They told the mum to give Jax paracetamol, keep his fluids up and follow-up with the GP but to call back if his symptoms further deteriorated. The next day Jax asked to go to school, but at lunchtime, the mum was called to pick him up, saying he had a temperature of about 40C.
She had to go back to work, so a neighbour cared for him for the rest of the day. Jax was taken to see a nurse at Southbourne Surgery and coughed throughout the appointment. He was taken to see a nurse at Southbourne Surgery, on November 28, 2022, and coughed throughout the appointment.
The mum said she “carried him into surgery” and the nurse “raised the possibility of a chest infection or croup and prescribed steroids”. By November 30 the five-year-old still had a temperature and had become drowsy and at 6.08pm she called 111, who suggested taking him to A&E.
At 7.02pm Jax saw a doctor but his heart rate was high and his oxygen saturation was only 94%, the court heard. The mum told the inquest: “I kept questioning his O2 and heartrate, because at one point it was 166bpm, but the doctor said it was attributable to his fever and the way he was lying on the bed.”
A nurse then noticed Jax had a rash over his back, neck and face but the mum said: “The nurse said it could possibly be heat rash because of his temperature but she would pass it onto the doctor. To the best of my knowledge no member of staff checked the rash before discharge.”
At just after 10pm that evening, Ms McCormack was told Jax had tested positive for Influenza A and there was little that could be done except giving paracetamol. The mum said she was told further blood tests would be taken and that they could go home.
Jax was put on the family sofa and a later call from the hospital showed blood tests had revealed he was dehydrated and to give him liquids. He remained on the sofa for the following day with his condition unchanged until 8pm on December 1 when he told his mum he couldn’t feel his legs.
The mum said she knew “I had to get him to the hospital straight away” and he was “responsive” when they got in the car “but then he began bleeding from the eyes and mouth. It was horrible to see. Jax stopped breathing and became lifeless”. She said: “I started CPR. Jax’s siblings were in the car at the time and they witnessed this.”
Jax died not long after being taken into A&E at Queen Alexandra Hospital and was subsequently found to have Group A Strep. The mum told the inquest: “When Jax died my heart was taken away.” She added: “He was a wonderful little boy.”
The inquest – being held in front of a jury – is expected to continue all week and will hear from the doctors and nurses who treated Jax.
