Two female parent from the UK who exit of herpes virus in brief after giving birth may have been infected with the virus by the same surgeon , a new investigation has suggested .
Kimberley Sampson , 29 , and Samantha Mulcahy , 32 , both buy the farm from the infection concisely after the same Dr. perform Caesarean sections in 2018 , consort to an in - deepness account bythe BBC.The families of the fair sex were ab initio told there was no joining between the deaths , but the new revelations suggest there may be a connection .
Both women died from an contagion do byherpes simplex type 1 , aka HSV-1 , one of two strains of the herpes virus simplex computer virus . exit from HSV-1 is almost unheard of in sound hoi polloi . In fact , up to 67 percent of the global population under 50 areinfected with HSV-1 . Most casesare asymptomatic , but some cases present as painful bulla or ulcer at the site of infection . However , aesculapian record book showed these two women had not previously been infected with herpes virus , so they would have had no antibodies against the computer virus . Their immune organisation was also compromise because of their pregnancy .
Kimberley went into lying-in on 18 January 2025 at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate , part of the East Kent Hospitals Trust . After it was decided her working class was not progressing quickly enough , doctor decided to execute a Caesarean . Her Logos was stick out and she was discharged from the infirmary two years later , despite being in considerable painfulness . Her condition apace deteriorated and she rush back to the hospital days later experiencing immense pain . doctor initially could n’t identify her condition , but they finally diagnose her with a ruinous herpes virus infection . She died on May 22 .
Samantha went into lying-in in other July 2018 at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford , also part of the East Kent Hospitals Trust . After some “ worrying blood trial run solvent , ” she was take for a C - subdivision and her daughter was successfully deliver . However , the female parent ’s condition began to deteriorate over the next few days , have a swollen tum , a fever , and raised blood air pressure . doc mistrust Samantha was suffering from bacterial sepsis , so she was given antibiotics and not antiviral medicine . Eventually , her organs began to shut down and she was taken to intensive care . Four days later , she died . The post - mortem investigating found Samantha had died from multi - organ bankruptcy following a " spread herpes simplex typewrite 1 infection . "
email construe by the BBC show that both women received the light speed - segment from the same midwife and sawbones . Another email from a micropathologists also indicates that the cleaning woman were infect with strains of HSV-1 that are “ probably the same , ” betoken they may have arrive from the same root . It ’s also noteworthy that this strain is comparatively rare to the others in circulation in the UK .
The BBC mouth to Peter Greenhouse , an experienced consultant in sexual wellness with an interest group in the herpes virus viruses , who described the case as " very unusual - very rare indeed . " While he believe it is almost unacceptable to say with sheer certainty how this improbable situation blossom forth , he has a theory : the surgeon may have had a scarcely detectable herpes infection on their finger’s breadth , which could have " directly seeded the herpes virus into the venter of the women " during the functioning . The surgeon would have been jade gloves , but it ’s possible for this protective equipment to split during degree Celsius - sections .
In light of the young revelations , the families of the two woman have been calling for a medical examiner to open fresh inquest into the deaths .
In astatement , the East Kent Hospitals Trust say the surgeon had verbally cover they had no history of herpes infection and had no helping hand lesions , although they were not examine for the virus at the prison term of the operations .
" East Kent Hospitals sought specialist support from Public Health England ( PHE ) following the tragic deaths of Kimberley and Samantha in 2018 . The investigations led by the Trust and the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch took advice from a number of experts and concluded that it was not possible to identify the source of either infection , ” the statement added .
" Kimberley and Samantha ’s treatment was based on the unlike symptom show during their sickness . Our thoughts are with their sept , and we will do all we can to answer their concerns . "
