Little girl remains in hospital after horror bathtime find revealed meningococcal disease

One moment six-year-old Aliannah was playing happily with her sisters, the next she was fighting for her life in hospital.

One moment six-year-old Aliannah was playing happily with her sisters, the next she was fighting for her life in hospital.

Now, her parents want to warn others of the importance of knowing what to look for to detect meningococcal disease before it’s too late.

“More people need to know about this and know that this can just happen and spread so quickly,” Mum Bianca recently told 7 News.

On Tuesday, a seven-month-old baby was diagnosed with meningococcal in South Australia, prompting further warnings from doctors about the disease’s impacts, which can also affect teenagers and adults.

In March, a 29-year-old man from Adelaide died after contracting the disease, the first of 11 cases in the state this year, compared to five the year before.

Parents are told to be on the lookout for purple blotches on the skin that retain their colour when pressed

A preliminary test for the disease, which can appear with very similar symptoms to other illnesses, is to press down on purple blotches on the skin to see if they change colour. If they do retain their colour, unlike normal bruises, parents should seek immediate medical assistance.

It was this simple technique that saved Aliannah’s life when a routine bathtime revealed purple blotches on her stomach.

The girl had already been ill with vomiting and a temperature, however it was her Aunt Hailey who recognised the true horror of what they were seeing.

“Bianca was on Facetime to me, I saw she had bruises on her belly and on her eyes, and her mouth was all purple too ... it just came out of nowhere,” Hailey said.

“She was pressing on them and they weren’t fading, you know when you press on a bruise and it changes colours, these didn’t do that.”

They raced Aliannah to hospital where she was placed into isolation and an induced coma, with doctors initially expressing little hope.

“They told us she was living minute-by-minute, it was just awful, Bianca just balled and collapsed on the floor,” Hailey said.

“You never think it’s going to be your family.”

Even those that survive the disease can face amputation of extremities.

With the help of medicine, Aliannah was able to fight back against the illness, but unfortunately she is not out of the woods yet.

The girl now faces a battle with sepsis, which emerged as a result of her battle with the initial disease.

In Aliannah’s case, it means her extremities including fingers, legs, feet and toes have lost circulation and may need to be removed.

But Aliannah continues to show how strong she can be. Doctors recently found a faint pulse in her legs and the family is hoping she might get feeling back in her feet.

“She is such a fighter. She’s gone from doctors telling us she isn’t going to make it to improving each and every day,” Hailey said.

The family launched a fundraiser to help their daughter with future medical care, and are urging other parents to be aware of the sudden and devastating effects meningococcal disease can have.