A toddler has managed to overcome a horrific illness which caused 80 per cent of his skin to fall off, leaving him covered in gaping wounds.
The parents of Eddie Sorensen, three, feared their little boy was going to die after he was initially diagnosed with meningitis.
Doctors later realised he had the worst case of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) they had ever seen.
Eddie recovered from the horrifying affliction without any scaring, but now mum Corrinne and dad Daniel worry he will continue to suffer from it in the future.
Corrinne said she knew something was wrong when Eddie, usually an energetic and happy little boy, didn’t want to be picked up one morning.
She said: ‘We knew that meningitis could make children irritable so we first worried it could be that. I looked for rashes and he did have one on his back.’
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Corrinne and Daniel took Eddie to A&E near their home in Bedfordshire, but almost immediately his symptoms started to worsen.
‘We spotted a few lesions or welts, like a flat blister on the skin. The doctor said it was probably part of the virus,’ said Corrinne.
However only as they were changing his nappy that night did his skin start coming away from his flesh when anything touched him.
Upon getting the correct diagnosis of SSSS, which is caused by bacteria, Eddie’s parents realised he must has contracted the illness via a tiny scratch under his eye which he received while in nursery.
After three days of Eddie’s conditioning deteriorating and losing skin from all over his body, including his face, his sores begun to heal.
A combination of anti-biotics and 50/50 cream meant Eddie fully recovered and didn’t suffer from any scaring, however the mental effect on his parents has been devastating.
Corrinne said: ‘The scary thing now is that this could happen again if Eddie gets another cut and bacteria gets in.
‘It’s made us very anxious parents – if he falls over we don’t just give the graze a wipe, we’re so careful to clean it thoroughly.’
