A YOUNG Birmingham boy died from meningitis - after both a doctor and then an ambulance crew misdiagnosed his condition as chicken pox. Haroon Khan, aged two, of Bowyer Road, Alum Rock, was first given headache tablets and a lotion for his rash before being sent home by his doctor. An ambulance crew who were called by the boy's worried parents, Aman Khan and Sofia Khatoom, also thought the toddler had chickenpox. Hours later, when he was eventually taken to hospital, he was diagnosed with the infection. However, doctors at Birmingham Children's Hospital could not save Haroon, of Bowyer Road, Alum Rock.
 At an inquest, Birmingham Coroner Aidan Cotter said everything possible had been done to save Haroon and no-one was to blame for his death. But the tot's family criticised the care he received from Dr Abdul Hakeem and paramedics for failing to spot Haroon had meningococcal septicemia. Haroon's uncle, cab driver Riyasat Khan, aged 37, said: "Haroon was a normal, healthy boy until this happened. We know this condition gets worse very quickly but we are upset about the treatment he received from the doctor and the paramedics because we feel they didn't do their jobs properly. "We're not saying he would have lived, but we would have had the satisfaction that everything was done to ensure the best chance." Aman and Sofia took Haroon to Dr Hakeem's surgery in Highfield Road, Alum Rock on February 21 this year with a high temperature, the inquest heard. Dr Hakeem ran the proper checks for meningitis, looking for irritation, difficulty in breathing, neck stiffness, swollen glands and throat congestion, but found none. He noticed the spots on Haroon's cheek, neck, chest and back, and noted that they failed to disappear when pressed but were raised off the skin, unlike spots associated with meningitis which are normally under the skin. "At best guess, it looked like the early days of chickenpox," Dr Hakeem told the inquest. "I had seen other children with it at that time and thought it may be going round." A few hours later, an ambulance was called to the family home and the crew assessed Haroon's condition. Ambulance medic David Painting said: "We made our initial diagnosis that it was chickenpox at which point his father told us he'd been to the doctor and that was what he'd said too." Doctors from both hospitals told the inquest it was impossible to say whether Haroon would have been saved had he arrived sooner. Recording a verdict of natural causes, Mr Cotter said: "There is always a feeling that somebody is to blame, but I can't see that anyone is to blame here. I can't see that Haroon's parents, Dr Hakeem or the ambulance personnel could, or should, have done anything more." | 
