A three year old girl contracted a rare form of
tuberculosis in Indonesia which left her with chronic ear infections and ultimately loss of hearing. Her GP failed to advise on
BCG vaccination before the visit and also failed to diagnose the infection on her return. She received sizeable damages which have been placed in trust until she is an adult.
Visitors to Asia are at increased risk of contracting TB
The child’s Indonesian mother was planning to take her daughter on an extended trip to visit her Indonesian family. She went to see her GP prior to their trip. The girl was only vaccinated against typhoid, despite advice to doctors that all those travelling to Asia for longer than a month are at increased risk of contracting
tuberculosis.
After her trip she returned to the doctors a number of times over the next few years with
chronic ear infections and discharge from her ears. Three years after her Indonesian trip she was shown to be almost totally deaf in both ears. However, it wasn’t until five years after her trip that she was finally diagnosed with having the rare condition of
tuberculosis infection in both ears.
Anti-tuberculosis therapy would have saved her hearing
It is believed that she picked up the infection while on holiday, and that a preventative
BCG injection would have protected her from this. Her tuberculosis infection should also have been picked up soon after her return from Indonesia. If she had received the appropriate
triple anti-tuberculosis therapy she would not have suffered from such an extended infection and her hearing would have been saved.
The family were represented by clinical negligence solicitor
Henry Dyson. A sizeable amount of damages were negotiated on her behalf in an out of court settlement. As well as covering the expense of medical treatment and sophisticated hearing aids, the highest proportion of the compensation was for future loss of earnings, due to the fact that her loss of hearing would hinder her in the jobs market.
For more information, or of you have think you may have a claim and want free initial advice, please call 020 7650 1200.
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