Morgan's fight for fitness after tick-bite infection

A YOUNGSTER is battling a painful disease contracted from an insect bite.

Doctors at first failed to recognise symptoms of Lyme disease in Morgan Upson, who suffered for several months before being diagnosed by staff at Basingstoke hospital.

The nine-year-old suffered from severe headaches, joint pains and fatigue, but it was only after blood tests that the correct diagnosis was made.

He has just finished a course of strong antibiotics, partly as a precaution against meningitis, which doctors feared he may also have contracted.

His condition has improved, but has left him with soreness in the limbs.

The illness first presented itself when Morgan was on holiday in the north of England with his mother Sue Upson and his four siblings.

Miss Upson, 37, said: "He developed a really bad headache and the right side of his face became paralysed."

A doctor in Northumberland diagnosed Morgan with Bell's palsy - a temporary paralysis caused by viral infections.

Miss Upson, of Ferndown Close, Beggarwood, said: "He seemed better, but everything we did tired him out and he had to have his eye taped shut at night so he could sleep."

After returning home, Miss Upson took Morgan to Basingstoke hospital, where Bell's palsy was again diagnosed.

Then, at a follow-up appointment, staff rushed him in for a CT scan, fearing there was something amiss with his brain.

His arms and legs were going numb, his blood pressure and heart rate were low and he had lost a substantial amount of weight.

But blood tests revealed Morgan had Lyme disease, an infection transmitted to humans by infected blacklegged ticks.

After looking it up on the internet, Miss Upson recognised the mark from when she had cut her son's hair three months earlier.

"I can't thank the staff at Basingstoke enough for diagnosing it," she said.

In February, a charity called Lyme Disease Action launched a "Lobby for Lyme" campaign to raise awareness and put pressure on the Government to make it a notifiable disease.

Information and further advice can be found at www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk

Lyme disease facts

• The first sign of Lyme disease is usually a circular rash beginning at the site of a tick bite, which may then expand and leave a bull's-eye appearance.
• Typical symptoms are fever, headaches and fatigue.
• If left untreated, it can lead to muscle and joint aches.
• Symptoms may go away without treatment and not all cases begin with a rash.
• Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics.
• Symptoms such as arthritis can recur after treatment.

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