Newcastle Teen Dies of Bacterial Meningitis in 48 Hours

A 19-year-old from Kingston Park in Newcastle died from bacterial meningitis less than 48 hours after complaining of feeling cold, a symptom his family initially dismissed as a minor chill treatable with paracetamol.

Jack Bolam began his shift at the Home Bargains store on January 30 last year, mentioning to his family that he felt chilly beforehand. About 20 minutes into work, he called his sister Ellie, 24, to pick him up, reporting dizziness and nausea. When she arrived, he was clinging to a drainpipe to steady himself. Back home, his father Stephen, 51, made him a cup of tea with sugar, which Jack rarely took. He told his mother Joanne, 49, "Mam, I'm so cold, I'm shivering." Joanne recalled his last words: "Aye, I'm pleased," as she suggested he could eat early since his shift ended prematurely.

That evening around 8 p.m., Jack vomited near an electrical socket, causing the house lights to fuse. His sisters alerted the family, and as they reached him upstairs, he began having seizures. Paramedics arrived by 9 p.m. and rushed him to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he continued fitting during the ambulance ride. Joanne accompanied him and was directed to a relatives' room...