Medical Malpractice and Infant Meningitis

 Posted on September 13, 2024 in Infections

Some infections happen under excellent medical conditions and without a doctor being able to control the effects. In other cases, as with infant meningitis, medical mistakes can be responsible for failing to prevent, diagnose, and treat, leading to serious complications and even death.

Meningitis is a severe infection that can damage the brain and spinal cord. However, with prompt and proper treatment, some people can fully recover. If your baby suffered a meningitis infection due to inadequate medical care, speak with a Cook County, IL birth injury lawyer to understand your options.

Is Infant Meningitis Fatal?

There are two main types of meningitis: viral and bacterial. While both types present serious health risks, medication can often treat meningitis. However, if it goes undiagnosed and untreated, a mostly manageable infection can turn into something much more severe and possibly fatal.

When an infant contracts meningitis, medical professionals need to work promptly to prevent complications including neurological damage, hearing loss, and even death. If the baby receives antibiotic or antiviral medication on time, the chances of survival and recovery increase significantly.

How Can I Prove My Baby’s Meningitis Was Caused by Medical Malpractice?

While some cases of meningitis are unpreventable, there are many scenarios in which medical failures lead to the infection or later complications, including:

• Neglectful or insufficient sterilization techniques that allow for the spread of hospital-borne infections

• Ignoring a mother’s infections during or after birth that she could transmit to the infant

• Ignoring or misinterpreting an infant’s infection symptoms like feeding difficulty and fever

• Delaying vaccination

• Failing to use preventive measures for infants with a risk of infection

• Mismanaging neonatal infections and preventing them from progressing into meningitis

In the situations listed above, the medical care providers may have failed to meet the standard of care. The delayed diagnosis, lack of diagnosis, or deficient treatment resulting from this failure can be considered medical malpractice.

Financial Burden for Parents of an Infant with Meningitis

In addition to the emotional and mental suffering parents of a baby with meningitis experience, there are significant costs to cover, including:

• Hospitalization

• Medication

• Laboratory tests

• Loss of wages during the baby’s treatment

• Ongoing expenses related to lifelong effects, including special education disability services

• Funeral costs in cases of wrongful death resulting from meningitis

A medical malpractice lawyer can advocate for you and hold people accountable for their failures that led to the severity of your baby’s infection. They will investigate your claim, collect evidence, file a lawsuit, negotiate on your behalf, and represent you in court to make sure that whoever was responsible pays the price.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Chicago, IL Birth Injury Attorney 

If your infant contracted meningitis, you do not have to deal with this alone. A qualified Cook County, IL birth injury lawyer can review your case and guide you on how to proceed. While you are busy focusing on your baby, let our team at Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd. handle the legal side of getting you the compensation you deserve to enable continued medical care and recovery. Call us at 312-462-4200 to schedule a free consultation.