Anxious Harold Hill parents are demanding that Health chiefs do more to protect their children from the killer virus meningitis, in spite of expert assurances that there is no epidemic.

The call comes as a seven-year-old pupil from Brookside Junior School, recovers in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington.

It is the latest in a series of cases in recent weeks, with four-year-old Brookside Infant School pupil Charlie Snooks, a four-year-old at Mead Nursery, Amersham Road, and a one-year-old Harold Hill baby, also being infected.

Fortunately, all are now on the road to recovery, but even the vaccination of 440 pupils at Brookside Infant and Junior Schools on Friday has not convinced parents that enough is being done.

Mother of four Kerry Ward said: "Other local health authority areas have closed their schools in such circumstances, so why not ours?"

Fellow mum Nicola Hodges agreed: "It's got to the stage where you don't want to send the children out."

And Sharon Vickery said: "I think there is a lot of hype with the vaccines. Other children like brothers and sisters and neighbours could still catch it - and the authorities couldn't vaccinate everyone."

Dr Glynis Double, a consultant in communicable disease at Barking and Havering Health Authority, has tried to calm parents' fears: "I must stress people should not be unduly alarmed, this is not an epidemic.

"Meningitis is not uncommon at this time of year but it is unusual to have this many cases in a short space of time."

Meningitis symptoms include high fever, headaches, vomiting, drowsiness and a distinctive rash anywhere on the body that does not fade with pressure.

Worried parents can find more information on Meningitis in our Infodesk section by clicking here

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