Gravesend mother lost her fetus and almost died after the child caught cheek rash-causing parvovirus in nursery

by Kate Pounds

A woman lost her fetus and nearly died after her son caught a rash-causing virus at daycare and passed it on.

Farran Wilkins and his partner Robert West. from Gravesend, were expecting their first child together, but lost the fetus at 25 weeks due to the virus.

Farran’s daughter from a previous relationship, Maple, returned from nursery with a fever, red cheeks, runny nose and rash when her mother was 17 weeks pregnant in April.

The three-year-old was later diagnosed with cheek slap syndrome, also known as parvovirus.

The disease spreads mainly through droplets, like a cold. It is not life-threatening, but can be to fetuses.

In May, a routine exam showed that Farran’s fetus, which she named Floss, was unwell.

The fetus was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition resulting from the parvovirus that infected Farran and passed to her in the womb.

Despite the intervention, Floss did not recover and was stillborn at 25 weeks, on June 14th.

Farran’s life was also in danger as the baby’s illness affected her and her body filled with fluid.

The receptionist is now sharing her story to raise awareness about the risks of parvovirus to unborn babies.

She said: “This was the most painful thing we have ever been through.

“We had to decide to terminate the pregnancy for medical reasons. It’s not a choice, it’s just horrible.

“Floss and I could have easily died.

“There needs to be more awareness among healthcare professionals, educational staff and pregnant women – there needs to be a government campaign.

“Parvo is on the rise and no one is aware of the risks. I had no idea it could cross the placenta.

“I had a sore throat and I asked my doctor about the risks, but he said it was fine, so I didn’t know the risks either.

“We’ve all heard about chickenpox, but we need more information about parvovirus and it’s a bigger risk right now.

“If I had known the risks and known there was an outbreak of parvo in the nursery, I would never have sent Maple there.”

Farran, 35, and Rob, 34, have known each other since they were teenagers and began a relationship in May 2022.

She has two daughters from a previous relationship and Rob has an eight-year-old daughter.

Neither of them worried when Maple got sick from a slap on the cheek or when Farran got a sore throat.

But doctors at Daren’t Valley Hospital detected fluid in Floss’s stomach, head and around her heart during the anomaly scan at 22 weeks.

Farran was referred to Professor Ranjit Akolekar, a specialist in fetal medicine, at Medway Hospital.

He diagnosed Floss with a condition called dropsy – resulting from severe anemia – caused by parvovirus that crosses the placenta.

When parvovirus infects a baby in the womb, it causes severe anemia due to a lack of iron, so the baby’s blood becomes very diluted.

Floss’s blood was light yellow instead of red, Farron said.

The fetus’s body fills with fluid, which is a sign of dropsy, a life-threatening condition.

Floss was in heart failure when she was diagnosed at 23 weeks.

Professor Akolekar and his team gave Floss a blood transfusion through the umbilical cord, but a test 10 days later showed the blood was watery again.

Farron was also developing something called mirror syndrome, where his body was also filling with fluid, which was putting his own life at risk.

And Farron and Rob had to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate the pregnancy at 25 weeks after being told Floss would not be able to recover.

Farran said: “The care I received was incredible. They tried everything, I was completely amazed at what they could do.

“But even with the new blood she was unable to fight the virus.

“In the end, we had no choice, she had been fighting the watery blood for a long time.

“They said she would die of heart failure and that my life was also at risk.

“There was so much fluid in my legs that I couldn’t bend them – they were huge and I looked like I was at full term.

“There is a terrible lack of information about parvo.

“Many pregnant women have children in primary school or daycare and parvo is a childhood disease.

Several reports state that cases of human parvovirus (B19V) increased across Europe last winter.

The risk for pregnant women is classified as low to moderate, with babies up to 20 weeks at greatest risk.

“Pregnant women and other high-risk groups should be counseled about the risks,” Farran added.

“We need to be better informed – I just want to save more babies.”