Suffolk coroner finds chickenpox death of Stowmarket 10-year-old Nuel-Junior Dzernjo was preventable and urges changes to medical guidance

A coroner has written to health officials over the death of a 10-year-old which, she said, could have been prevented had clear guidance been available.

Nuel-Junior Dzernjo, from Stowmarket, died on February 22 this year.

He was immunocompromised as a result of the steroids he had been prescribed to treat a suspected case of epilepsy.

Days prior to his death, he contracted a severe case of chickenpox, leading his parents to seek medical attention.

An inquest in Ipswich last month ruled that doctors had failed to appreciate the seriousness of Nuel's condition.

Suffolk Coroner’s Court heard that the 10-year-old was struggling to breathe and walk when he went for an appointment at Ipswich Hospital on February 21.

One expert witness told the inquest he would have recommended intravenous treatment with aciclovir – an antiviral drug – if presented with a child exhibiting these symptoms.

Instead, hospital staff sent Nuel home with oral aciclovir.

A day later, his mother found him unconscious.

Medics rushed Nuel to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, where he was pronounced within hours.

The inquest into Nuel’s death was led by assistant coroner Catherine Wood.

In a prevention of death report issued yesterday, Mrs Wood said: “During the course of hearing the evidence from the expert and all of the treating clinicians, it became clear that there was some potentially relevant guidance available, but it lacked clarity.

“Here, intravenous aciclovir, if prescribed, may have prevented Nuel-Junior's death, but he was instead prescribed oral aciclovir, which was unlikely to have made a difference.

“Had clear guidance been available then Nuel-Junior's death may have been prevented.”

Mrs Wood has not made specific recommendations as to what changes should be made to prevent future tragedies.

However, her recent report is addressed to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – who, the coroner states, “have the power to take such action.”

Rounding off the inquest in November, Mrs Wood suggested the changes could take the form of updated guidance in relation to cases like Nuel’s.

His death was found to be due to a combination of chickenpox, immunosuppression and side-effects from the steroids he was taking.