Surgeon Implicated in Death of Two Mothers Who Died of Herpes

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Source: Freepik

The death of two mothers, who died of herpes shortly after a cesarean section, is being linked to the same surgeon.

In 2018, both Kimberley Sampson and Samantha Mulcahy died shortly after giving birth. Both the mothers had undergone a Caesarean section by the same surgeon and were believed to have died from a herpes infection. An investigation by the BBC now suggests that the mothers likely contracted the virus from the surgeon.

The herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) virus is present in more than half of the world’s population. Although most cases are asymptomatic, some can develop cold sores around the mouth or genitals. However, death from HSV-1 is mostly unheard of. Both mothers who died were found to be infected with HSV-1, but had no previous history of herpes infection. It is highly likely that the lack of antibodies and a weakened immune system due to pregnancy brought about their deaths.

No History of Infection

On 3rd May 2018, Kimberly Sampson went into labour at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. The 29-year-old had had an uneventful pregnancy. However, the slow progress of the labour caused doctors to perform a Caesarean. Due to injuries sustained during the procedure, Kimberly required a blood transfusion and remained in the hospital for two days. She was then discharged despite being in immense pain. But as her condition worsened, she returned to the hospital. After eight days of multiple treatments and operations, she eventually passed away on 22nd May from a catastrophic herpes infection.

Six weeks later, Samantha Mulcahy had a similar fate. The 32-year-old went into labour four weeks before her due date. She was admitted to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Some worrying blood test results resulted in an emergency Caesarean section. Over the next few days, Samantha developed a fever, swollen stomach, and raised blood pressure. Doctors considered a bacterial infection and continued treating her with antibiotics to no avail. Four days later, Samantha passed away. A post-mortem examination found that she had died from a disseminated HSV-1 infection.

Neither of the woman’s babies had a herpes infection. Moreover, none of the women had a prior herpes infection. Thus, suggesting that they likely contracted it from the hospital.

BBC’s Investigation Shows Mothers Died of Herpes Contracted from Same Surgeon

In 2019, BBC began investigating the East Kent Hospitals Trust’s maternity department. They soon started working on Samantha and Kimberley’s case, both of whom had given birth at hospitals part of the Trust. While looking at email chains between the staff at Public Health England, the East Kent Hospitals Trust, some NHS bodies and a private lab called Micropathology, the news body found some important details.

According to the investigation, both the women were infected by genetically identical viruses; thus, revealing a common source. Moreover, the same midwife and surgeon had carried out both the Caesarean sections. Although the surgeon wore gloves during the procedure, a possible split could have allowed the virus to spread from a lesion on the surgeon’s fingers or hand.

However, East Kent Hospitals have denied the allegations.

The surgeon who performed both Caesarean sections did not have any hand lesions that could have caused infection, or any history of the virus.

Dr Rebecca Martin, Chief Medical Officer for East Kent Hospitals

Source: BBC

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