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" A new test which can rapidly detect sepsis, meningitis and other killer infections in children could prevent thousands of deaths each year. Sadly more than 44,000 people die for sepsis each year in the UK and it&amp;#039;s often because doctors and nurses mistake their symptoms for a milder viral condition, and treatment is not given until it is too late. Many will remember the devastating story of one-year-old William Mead who\u00A0died after\u00A0contracting\u00A0sepsis in 2014.  At the moment, if a child arrives at hospital with a fever, there&amp;#039;s no quick way of identifying the cause of the illness. To test for sepsis, doctors have to take a sample of blood or spinal fluid and wait to see if bacteria grows. This process can take more than 48 hours. But yesterday, an international team of scientists announced they had identified two genes that are switched on only when a child is suffering from a bacterial infection. The discovery could lead to a simple blood test and that can tell if the infection is viral or bacterial within two hours. It means children could be given life-saving antibiotics much sooner and many tragedies will be prevented.   Professor Michael Levin who led the research at Imperial College London, said:  &amp;quot;This is such an important problem. Fever is one of the most common reasons\u00A0\u00A0children are brought to medical care. However,\u00A0every year many children are sent away from emergency departments or doctors&amp;#039; surgery because the medical team thinks they have a viral infection, when in fact they are suffering from life-threatening bacterial infections, which are often diagnosed too late. Conversely, many other children are admitted to hospital and receive antibiotics because the medical team are unable to immediately exclude the possibility of a bacterial infection, but in fact they are suffering from a virus.&amp;quot; Vinny Smith, chief executive of the Meningitis Research Foundation, welcomed the developing, saying: \u00A0&amp;quot;This latest development is very exciting.\u00A0Bacterial meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours, and can leave survivors with life-changing after effects.\u00A0Giving health professionals the tools to rapidly determine whether an infection is bacterial or viral will enable faster detection and treatment.&amp;quot; Researchers have called on the Government to make the test available in every doctor&amp;#039;s surgery and hospital within the next five years. In the meantime, Dr Ranj Singh advises worried parents if your child\u00A0has an infection that appears to be getting worse, they should be seen by a doctor.\u00A0 Warning signs include:  Becoming increasingly lethargic Pale mottled skin Passing decreasingly\u00A0less urine Having to work harder to breathe   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/parenting/baby-and-toddler/news/a26880/genetic-test-sepsis-bacterial-infections/>