A mother is sharing the traumatic tale of her baby’s battle against meningitis to make people aware that the symptoms are not always obvious.

One year ago this weekend Anna Evans, 35, from Studio Way in Borehamwood had to rush her daughter Francesca to hospital when she was just three weeks old.

She said: “From what I know now about meningitis there can be no symptoms. Francesca did not have the rash is usually for bacterial meningitis.

“At the time she only had a very high temperature, and it was at the time of year when children get colds.

“The out-of-hours doctor told us that her temperature would go down, but he everything he could, did all of the right checks and advised us if her temperature went up to call an ambulance.”

But later that night when Anna and husband saw that her temperature was over 39, she was rushed to Barnet Hospital.

Doctors advised that the high temperature was the symptom of infection, and after a urine test and lumbar puncture (a needle which punctures the spine to test for conditions affecting the brain, spine and nervous system) she was kept overnight.

Francesca was put on antibiotics and her temperature stabilised, and in the morning doctors gave a diagnosis of viral meningitis, which was confirmed after two days.

She was kept in hospital for two days so that doctors could monitor her condition and so that her lumbar puncture could be grown over.

Now Francesca is one/nearly and has had no lasting effects since contracting the infection and has made a full recovery.

Anna said: “It was awful. Now she is totally fine, but to go through that experience and to be told your child has meningitis is terrifying.

“When they are that young you are just learning what they are like as a person, and whether crying so much would just be part of her character.

“I would tell any parent to trust their instincts if you think your child is ill. When the paramedic turned up her temperature was going down, but we insisted we wanted her to be checked over.

“Barnet Hospital were fantastic, we were chuffed with how they handled everything.

“Don’t think you are being a burden on the NHS, they understand and would rather this than the situation get worse.

“I took her back two days later, and the hospital told me they were glad I had brought her back in and to trust my instincts.”

Anna shared her story with the charity Meningitis Now, which is working towards preventing deaths caused by meningitis and getting all affected patients the support they need.

This is done through funding research into vaccines and prevention and to raise awareness so people know what to look for.

For more information visit or to donate visit www.meningitisnow.org.