Serious Infection by Tampon's Patient Dies on Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

Toxic shock syndrome: 13-year-old girl died because of a tampon
A 13-year-old girl from the UK died because she forgot to change the tampon. The schoolgirl complained of nausea, fever and diarrhea on vacation. The infection, the Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), was correctly diagnosed too late. The rare disease is often recognized too late.

13-year-old girl died of rare disease
13-year-old Jemma-Louise Roberts suddenly became ill during a family vacation, got a fever, suffered from nausea and diarrhea. According to media reports, the girl from Greater Manchester was first diagnosed with a highly contagious norovirus disease in a clinic. The doctor prescribed her strict bed rest. But the condition of the young Briton deteriorated dramatically. Her parents took the teenager back to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). The disease was probably caused by a tampon. A week later the girl was dead.

US model lost a leg due to bacterial infection
Jemma-Louise Roberts died on March 1, 2014. Her parents have now decided to make the story public in order to warn other girls and their parents and spare them the fate of their own daughter. The girl's mother told the regional daily "Manchester Evening News", "If only one person can save, it's worth it." Just a few months ago, another TSS case hit the headlines worldwide. Lauren Wasser, a well-known Vogue model lost her leg after being diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Toxic shock syndrome usually caused by tampon
TSS is an infectious disease with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Although the bacteria can theoretically penetrate through any wound in the body, but often reach the pathogens via tampons in the organism, especially if they remain too long in the body. Typical symptoms include high fever, headache, dizziness, hypotension, itchy rash, muscle pain, nausea and diarrhea. An infection can also lead to severe circulatory and organ failure. Although the disease occurs extremely rarely with one case per 200,000 inhabitants, it can be fatal, as the case of the young girl from Great Britain shows. Or in the case of a 14-year-old girl from Wales. She also died two years ago because of a tampon. Her parents had also started a campaign to better explain the rare disease. If TSS is detected in good time, health professionals say antibiotics can usually help. (Ad)