The mother of a “beautiful” 19-year-old from York who died after unknowingly contracting a rare deadly illness is calling for action to prevent other parents from going through the same heartache.
Livia Wilson died in 2022 after contracting meningococcal meningitis – a life-threatening bacterial infection that can cause meningitis, sepsis, or both.
She complained of a headache days after returning home to Woodthorpe from a music festival in Manchester the previous weekend.
Her mother Alison Goude told The Press she thought Livia had “overdone it” after going straight back to work at Lucia’s Restaurant, in Swinegate.
“She had some paracetamol, a cup of tea and went to bed. She said she’d do a Covid test in the morning. And that was it.”
Livia went to sleep on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, and never woke up.
It was later revealed through tests that Livia died from meningococcal type B meningitis.
Alison said a severe headache is a main symptom of the illness, which leads to the swelling of the meninges – the lining of the brain and the spinal cord – caused, mainly, by germs entering the body.
But she never thought a headache could be fatal.
“You don’t expect that she’s not going to wake up,” said the 48-year-old, who works in finance for the NHS.
The bacteria that cause meningitis can be spread through sneezing, coughing and intimate kissing.
Babies and children under five are most at risk of contracting the illness. In 2015 a meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine was rolled out to new born babies in the UK after it was developed.
There is a second peak of the illness in adolescence but no MenB vaccine is currently available for teenagers on the NHS.
The current NHS advice is that the cases among this age group are too low to justify providing funding for the vaccine.
Vaccinations are available privately for the age group, costing around £220 in total (two doses at about £110 each).
Alison is calling for the MenB vaccination to be given to teenagers for free on the NHS while at school.
The vaccination babies are given begins to wane after five years, meaning it has worn off by the time they are at risk again in adolescence.
Alison said parents are unaware of this, with many thinking their child is still protected after having the vaccine as a child or has had the MenACWY vaccine so is safe. The MenACWY vaccine is given to children aged 14 or 15 which protects against meningococcal types ACWY of meningitis and sepsis, but not meningococcal meningitis type B.
Alison said, had she have known about it, she would have paid to have Livia vaccinated against MenB as a teenager, adding that her 15-year-old sister Layla is planning to get the jabs privately.
She questioned why the MenB vaccination has not already been rolled out to teenagers, asking: “How many deaths do they need?”
He said, unlike the MenACWY vaccine that is currently given to teenagers, the MenB vaccine has been shown to have "no effect on carriage and will therefore, not provide population (herd) protection".
“MenB is a rare, but terrible disease and this is yet another devastating reminder of how serious it can be," he said. "Our thoughts are with Livia Wilson’s family.
“Based on expert advice from the independent Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), Government decide which groups are eligible for free NHS vaccines. "
He added: “As with all vaccine programmes, the JCVI will keep the programme under constant review.
“Early recognition of meningitis and septicaemia symptoms, which can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet, can greatly improve the outcome of the disease and so anyone concerned about any of these symptoms, at any time, should contact their GP immediately or call NHS 111.”
Livia was 'just beautiful, inside and out', says mother
Alison described Livia as “just beautiful, inside and out”.
“She just loved life and socialising, being with her friends.”
Livia attended Woodthorpe Primary School, then York High School and later studied dance at York College.
She danced from the age of three, taking ballet exams and becoming skilled enough to be offered the chance to study in Barcelona.
York College created the Liv Willo Award for Dance to be given to the pupil who has exceeded that year in Livia’s memory.
“Her college tutors, they thought an awful lot of her,” Alison explained. “They’ve done the Yorkshire Three Peaks for her and made an award for her.”
The family honoured Livia by installing a bench in her memory in King's Staith – a place where she would start nights out with friends.
“There were just loads of them, it was just really touching to see,” Alison said through tears, praising the support from those who knew Livia after her death.
Alison and the family are working with the charity Meningitis Research Foundation to raise awareness of the condition.
Most recently, they organised a charity darts night at the Dick Turpin Pub in Woodthorpe.
The pub is special to the family, Alison said, as it is where Livia bought her first pint for her father Matt Wilson, 43, after she turned 18.
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