The family of Analía, the five-year-old girl who died on 20 April in Malaga from a rapidly progressing bacterial meningitis , have launched a fundraising campaign to cover the legal costs of the case. Parents Ana Castro and Moisés Cortés from Vélez-Málaga say they need financial assistance to “seek justice” for the death of their daughter.The fundraising campaign is on the GoFundMe platform under the title ‘Justicia para Analía’ (‘Justice for Analía’). In the published text, the parents explain that the money will be used
exclusively to pay for lawyers, court representatives and notary fees related to the legal proceedings they wish to initiate to clarify what happened.Related story general Auto No No ‘They only took her temperature’: Parents of Vélez-Málaga girl blame medical failings for meningitis death Eugenio CabezasThe case caused a deep shock in the Axarquía area at the end of April. According to the family’s account, Analía was okay on 19 April, until the evening, when she felt pain on one side of her chest and developed
a fever. Her fever worsened and she had a seizure, so her parents decided to take her to the Axarquía hospital in Vélez-Málaga.Her parents took her to the Axarquía hospital at around 3am. She went through triage and was seen by a doctor. According to the couple, they didn’t measure Analía’s oxygen levels and didn’t test her blood despite the mother’s repeated requests and warnings that the child was lethargic and showing changes in the colour in her hands and feet.At 6.02am, Analía was discharged
with a diagnosis of viral infection and prescribed home treatment with paracetamol and ibuprofen for fever or discomfort. The family say that they requested she not be discharged because they saw that Analía was very weak and were not happy with the decision.At home, the mother noticed that “her daughter was not well or improving”. “On the contrary, she was getting worse and her body was covered in a rash,” the letter states. They returned to the Axarquía hospital at around 12.30pm.While they were waiting,
the girl developed “bluish and violet spots”, for which she was sent to the critical care unit. The doctors told the parents that “she was very ill and would be transferred by ambulance” to the Materno hospital.She arrived in Malaga at 4.18pm “with suspected sepsis”. “There was little they could do for her. She died just two hours after her arrival, at 6.37pm,” the patients’ association says.Medical reports released so far indicate an infection with Neisseria meningitidis: the bacterium that causes meningococcal meningitis. The disease
can progress extremely rapidly and lead to sepsis and multiple organ failure.Justice for AnalíaAnalía’s parents have repeatedly said that they are not interested in a financial compensation but rather in an investigation. “We want justice for Analía and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through what we have,” they state in the campaign text, in which they also demand improvements in urgent paediatric care.The patient advocate association has sent a letter to the Malaga provincial prosecution to request a pre-trial investigation into
Analía’s death, alleging healthcare negligence.The Andalusian regional government said at the time that the girl had received treatment according to the symptoms she had at each stage. The Junta highlighted the difficulty in diagnosing such infections in the early stages. The young girl had been vaccinated against meningococcal serotypes A, W, C and Y, but not against serogroup B, which could have triggered the illness that led to her death. Following Analía’s death, health authorities activated the prophylaxis protocol for the girl’s family and school
to prevent possible infections . There were no new related cases.Now, almost two months after the tragedy, the family continue with their legal claim and are seeking public support to cover the costs of the legal proceedings to clarify the circumstances of Analía’s death. The initiative has already raised over 460 euros of its 1,800-euro goal.Review public health, medical care and clinical news
Malaga, Vélez-Málaga, Analía, meningitis, meningococcal meningitis, Neisseria meningitidis, fundraising, GoFundMe, Justicia para Analía, healthcare negligence, pre-trial investigation