A STRATTON dad who lost his daughter to meningitis last year wants young people to get vaccinated against the disease that claimed his ‘beautiful’ girl.

Isabel ‘Izzy’ Gentry, 16, was deep in revision for her AS-exams when she was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary in May last year.

She was discharged after four hours in A&E – but returned just hours later, when a consultant doctor diagnosed meningitis and told Izzy’s mother the girl was ‘very seriously ill’. She died two days later.

Izzy’s father, Paul, 54, said his daughter was ‘loving, caring, funny and an amazing friend’.

“From the age of eight-years-old she always said that she wanted to be a midwife,” the Stratton-St-Margaret dad said. “She just loved working with children and helping people.”

“She was the best and all I could have ever asked for as a daughter.”

Talented Izzy, who lived in Bristol with her mum and stepfather, was studying for exams in five A-level subjects when she died. She had already achieved 12 GCSEs – mostly at A or A* grade.

At an inquest in March of this year, Avon coroner Maria Voisin recorded a verdict of death by natural causes. But she said that there had been gross failures in Izzy’s care at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Private ambulance driver Paul said: “Not a moment passes without thinking about Izzy. I do not think that the pain will ever go away, but eventually we will find a way to cope with it.

“You always think that your children are going to outlive you. When they’re taken away from you, it’s devastating.”

Dad Paul has joined other parents who have lost their children to meningitis. The grieving parents are calling on young people to claim a free vaccination against meningococcal W meningitis – a virulent strain that now accounts for a quarter or all bacterial meningitis cases.

The MenACWY vaccine has been offered to all 17 and 18-year-olds and all university entrants aged 19-25 free on the NHS since August 2015. However, last year just a third of all those eligible were vaccinated.

Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of charity Meningitis Now, which brought Paul and the other parents together, said: “Teenagers are the second most at risk group of contracting meningitis after babies and toddlers.

"Up to a quarter of students carry the bacteria that can cause meningitis compared to one in 10 of the general population.

“It’s vital that young people and their parents are not complacent about the threat of meningitis - we urge them to take up this lifesaving vaccine.”

Izzy was affected by a different strain of the disease and would not have benefited from the vaccination.

But dad Paul hopes that his daughter’s story will raise awareness of the devastating bacterial disease that affects around 3,200 people in the UK each year.

“People don’t seem to realise that meningitis is out there. It’s about being aware of the symptoms, which a lot of people aren’t.”

Public Health England and charity Meningitis Now are urging young people to take up the MenACWY vaccine, which can be organised through their GP’s surgery.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, told youngsters: “Get vaccinated as soon as possible, remain vigilant and seek urgent medical help if you have concerns for yourself or friends.”

For more, visit: www.meningitisnow.org