[user104658]

Originally Posted by Jessica.

It's everything to do with vaccinations. If the child was vaccinated he wouldn't have got sick in the first place. It still comes down to the parents idiocy.

This is incorrect. There are two types of meningitis; bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis. The type most likely to kill is bacterial meningitis. There is no vaccination for bacterial meningitis (or any other bacterial infection).

Also, vaccination are nowhere near 100% effective, and parents should be aware of this. Ignorace can go the other way, too; parents getting their kids vaccines for serious illness and then assuming that they "can't possibly" have that illness "because they are vaccinated". Not true. Never assume immunity. Especially important to remember with meningitis because of the misconception that a viral meningitis vaccination will protect against the bacterial variety.

THE single most important factor is education and vigilance... therefore, their number one biggest failing was in not realising that he was seriously ill and should have been in hospital.