19-year-old dies in her sleep after going to bed with a ‘headache’

When Livia Wilson went to bed with a nasty headache, her mum thought she had simply “overdone it”. But sadly, she never woke up.

When Livia Wilson came home from a festival with a bad headache, her mum thought she had simply “overdone it”.

The 19-year-old waitress from York, in northern England, popped some paracetamol and put herself to bed, in an attempt to sleep it off.

But tragically Livia would never wake up, The Sunreports.

Tests would later reveal she passed away after contracting meningitis B, a bacterial illness which causes the brain to swell.

Livia Wilson tragically went to bed with a ‘headache’ but never woke up. Picture: SWNS

Livia’s mum, Alison Goude, 48, is now calling on the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to roll out an existing lifesaving vaccine for teens to protect against the deadly bug.

In the UK and Ireland babies are offered Bexsero, the meningococcal group B vaccine, as part of the routine immunisation schedule at two, four and twelve months of age.

But the NHS doesn’t currently offer it to anyone born before 2015.

There are similar guidelines on using the MenB vaccine in Australia, with only infants and children aged under 10 able to receive Bexsero, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Alison said: “To know there is this vaccination out there, it hurts. You beat yourself up, like what could I have done to protect her?”

The 19-year-old passed away after contracting meningitis B, a bacterial illness which causes the brain to swell. Picture: SWNS

The youngster had just returned from Parklife, a festival in Manchester in June 2022 when she complained of a headache.

Alison, an assistant accountant, explained that on the Livia had come home, she thought her teenage daughter had just “overdone it” at the music event.

However, the evening of June 15 would sadly be the final time she would see her daughter alive.

“She came back after the weekend, and she was straight back into work,” Alison said.

“She was working usual restaurant hours until late at night.

“She’d got herself to work, she’d drove. But she was sent home that day as she felt unwell.

“She did say it was the ‘worst headache’ she’d ever had but she would do a Covid test in the morning because she felt generally unwell.

“She had paracetamol, went to bed, and that was it.

“[The next day] an ambulance came and then the police came because they treat it as suspicious because there’s no explanation.”

Her devastated mum is urging parents to get their kids vaccinated. Picture: SWNS

Meningitis B is usually transmitted to an individual via the mucus or saliva of a person who is carrying the virus but has no symptoms.

This can come, for example, from sharing drinks, food, utensils or toothbrushes.

Heartbroken Alison said it was extremely tough to learn how her sociable daughter who “loved life” had passed away so suddenly.

“It took a long time to find out what caused it, and we asked, ‘Was she suffering, was she in pain?’ and they tried to explain that it’s just so fast with the brain.

“It just shuts your main organs down… She was alone. You just didn’t ever expect it.”

Alison is now urging parents to consider getting their children vaccinated against meningococcal type B meningitis while they are eligible, The Sun reports.

Know the signs

Brian Davies, Head of Health Insights and Policy at Meningitis Research Foundation, said: “Meningococcal Group B infection has, for decades, been the largest cause of life-threatening meningitis in the UK.

“Introducing a vaccine for babies in 2015 was a major step forward but teenagers are a high-risk age group too and we would like to see this age group protected.

“Alongside this, it’s also important to know that meningitis vaccines offer protection against the different types of bacteria that cause meningitis but that there is currently no one single vaccine that protects against them all.

“That is why it’s also vital to be aware of the symptoms of meningitis, so you can spot these and know when to seek urgent medical attention.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as 19-year-old dies in her sleep after going to bed with a ‘headache’