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Scunthorpe family’s distress as baby son diagnosed with bronchitis and RSV ‘due to recurrent mould’

A Scunthorpe family have been left “angry” and “upset” after their 11-month-old son has been hospitalised for the second time in a year and diagnosed with severe respiratory issues – which they claim is due to the mould and moisture build-up inside their home.

In February, after experiencing mould for several months within their Warley Road house – which would return whenever they cleaned it – the family noticed that their youngest son, who was newborn at the time, was suffering with a persistent cough.

The infant was subsequently rushed to hospital and placed on the high dependency unit, with the family being told it was a case of “touch and go” due to his age and vulnerability. A chest X-ray on the two-month-old showed shadowing on his lungs, and he was diagnosed with bronchitis.

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A doctor’s note, which Scunthorpe Live has seen, states: “[The child] has been admitted to the children’s ward with a respiratory illness and his sibling also has a wheeze, which might all be related to the housing condition. Mum mentions that there is a strong tendency for their house to be susceptible to repeated moulds.

“Parents have tried to do everything to get rid of this but of no avail. This is causing the children to have recurrent respiratory illnesses and sometimes this leads to hospital admissions. I support the parent’s request for better housing conditions.”



Mould in the bedroom
Mould in the bedroom

The boy’s dad, 25, who asked not to be named, said he contacted social housing provider Ongo Homes about the extent of mould within his home and his son’s subsequent hospitalisation.

“Thankfully he made a full recovery and came home, and I went to Ongo with pictures of the mould,” he said.

“The windowsills and ceilings were covered with black mould, and me and my partner would repeatedly scrub and clean it but it just kept coming back.

“They agreed to get somebody to come out and do the mould washing, and they did that at first, but I had an agreement with Ongo that they would do the mould washes every four weeks or, if I deem one necessary before four weeks, to contact them and they would get a contractor to come out.

“But then nobody came to the property for five or six weeks. I contacted them and they said there must have been some confusion. They asked why I didn’t contact them after four weeks had passed, and I said it wasn’t up to me.”



Black mould around the windows
Black mould around the windows

A surveyor then visited the property where a list of jobs was listed for completion, including the replacement of the majority of windows and doors because of draught, moisture and condensation issues.

But several months on, and the householder said he is still waiting for this job to be completed. He claims he is racking up more than £400 a month on gas and electric bills just to keep heat inside his property.

Tragically, his youngest son, now 11 months old, was again rushed to hospital earlier this week with respiratory issues, and was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory synctial virus), on top of his previous diagnosis of bronchitis.

He continued: “My son was blue lighted up to hospital on Saturday night with the same thing. They’ve done more chest X rays which look a lot worse than what was initially there, which I believe is down to Ongo delaying jobs. The mould and moisture inside the house is causing my children to have respiratory problems.

“I’m getting nowhere. It’s made me so cautious, even now to the point where I’m getting up at 6am way before the kids because I’m losing that much heat in my property. I have to put the heating on before they get up so they can get up to a warm house.



Mould on the ceiling
Mould on the ceiling

“We’ve been going through this for nine months. My other son is on inhalers and [mould] affects anyone with asthma. When you’ve got a four-year-old sat next to you constantly coughing and there’s nothing you can do for him, it’s awful. It makes you angry, upset and lash out at the wrong people.

“When the hospital staff talk about discharging my youngest son, you’re thinking, is it even safe to take him home? You second guess yourself as a parent thinking, am I doing the right thing? He was hooked up to all these machines at only three months old.”

Pete Stones, Director of Property at Ongo said: “I would like to send my sincerest apologies to [this man] and his family for the time it has taken to resolve issues within their home, at what is obviously a stressful time for them.

“During several surveys at this property we identified repairs needed. This included damp and mould washes, gutter cleaning, a loft insulation top up, a PIV (positive input ventilation) unit to be installed and new entry doors and windows.

“I can confirm that all work has been carried out, apart from the doors and windows. These are on order, with delivery due in December. As soon as these arrive, an installation appointment will be made, as a matter of urgency.

“A further survey is booked in at the earliest convenience (23 November), so that we can make sure all repairs and potential issues at this home have been identified, and a resolution put in place.

“As a future preventative measure, we will fit a smart device, so that conditions within the property can be monitored.

“I’m also saddened to hear that [the man’s] son is unwell at the moment, and I would like to send our best wishes for his recovery.”

Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

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