An inquest began into the death of Nuel-Junior Kerlii Dzernjo on Wednesday. He died on February 22 this year, a week after his 10th birthday.
Suffolk Coroners’ Court heard that Nuel-Junior had been prescribed a high dose of steroids in November 2022, due to concerns that he was suffering from night-time epilepsy seizures.
The steroids would have meant that his immune system was compromised, the court heard.
On February 17, Nuel-Junior contracted chickenpox, and grew progressively weaker over the weekend.
His mother, Solange Dzernjo, took him to a routine appointment over the weekend with consultant community paediatrician Dr Awais Khan. However, he was unable to examine Nuel-Junior due to the risk of passing the infection to his other patients.
Nuel-Junior attended a GP appointment with his mother that afternoon, and a consultation at Ipswich Hospital organised by Dr Khan with his father the following day. He had continued to deteriorate, needing a wheelchair to move him from the hospital to the car, and being unable to eat or to talk in full sentences.
The next day, Nuel-Junior’s mother was moving him to the bathroom when she felt him collapse. An ambulance was called and police and paramedics attended.
Nuel-Junior was taken to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, but his life could not be saved. He died on the afternoon of February 22.
In court on Wednesday were Mrs Dzernjo and her husband, Emmanuel Dzernjo.
In a statement read before the court by coroner Catherine Wood, they said that they felt their son’s death had been caused by “multiple failures” and “sub-optimal care”.
“He died in severe pain,” the statement read. “I haven’t stopped blaming myself for leaving that hospital, but how could I admit my own son?”
They raised multiple concerns regarding their son’s care, and urged Mrs Wood to help them find closure in finding the answers they need, and to prevent other parents from experiencing the loss they had suffered.
The inquest continues.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
