Mum's horrifying pictures show how baby's meningitis rash spread to his whole body in just 24 hours

A new mum whose son was diagnosed with meningitis has shared shocking pictures of her baby's battle with the disease in a bid to raise awareness.

Annabella Hanslow, from Walsall, noticed her son Ashley-Jay Greatorex had a temperature on Monday, and gave him Calpol to reduce it.

It wasn't until Wednesday that she noticed he had a small rash on his back, after which she rushed him to hospital where he was diagnosed with meningitis and septicaemia.

Sharing her story on Facebook, the mum wrote: 'He started with high temp. Fine he was ! Till I noticed a few spots. Then spread really quick ! Not flat but not raised as such either.

'This is a different rash to the normal they come across they have never seen it spread so quick!'

https://www.facebook.com/annabellahanslow/posts/10158331814025111

Ashley-Jay's rash was only a few dots to begin with, but it spread quickly, as his mum explained on her Facebook post.

Doctors couldn't figure out what the rash was initially, and Annabella said the glass test didn't work on her baby.

'They couldn't work out the rash at all.. they were confused. The first pic with the little dots was from yesterday morning. The last is from this morning.

'The glass test failed for us! It still disappeared', the mum wrote.

'Not a day goes by without us thinking the worst', Annabella told Mirror Online.

'It's a cruel illness and I wouldn't wish it on any child.'

Now the mum is urging parents to be even more aware of meningitis, as early diagnosis could make a big difference.

'Please if anyone worries about it. Go get checked asap [as soon as possible]! Trust your instinct don't let others tell you different.

'I'm trying to be so strong for him but I just want to break into a million crumbles and take this nasty disease away'.

Meningitis affects thousands of people in the UK every year, and symptoms include nausea, fever, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness, neck stiffness, severe headache, and a blotchy rash, which typically appears as small, red pinpricks at first.