A GRIEVING mum today launched a bitter attack on health chiefs after losing her little boy to meningitis.

Four-year-old Ashley Rigby died in his mother's arms just three weeks after the virus nearly claimed the life of a classmate.

Annette Bacon, of Ash Avenue, Haslingden, is furious that other parents were not informed about the meningitis case which struck a four-year-old girl in Ashley's reception class.

She said if Ashley and other pupils had been given antibiotics to protect them against the killer bug, the tragedy might have been prevented.

Today Annette, who is separated from Ashley's father, Andrew Rigby, wept: "He could still be alive today if we had been told about the first case."

Ashley, who lived with his father in Astley Bridge, Bolton, was sent home ill on April 14 from Holy Infant and St Antony RC School at Astley Bridge. Mr Rigby, who works for Standish Self Drive, in Darwen, discovered Ashley semi-conscious in bed the next morning and took him to the Royal Bolton Hospital where doctors confirmed he was suffering from the meningococcal septicaemia strain of the bug.

Within hours, he was transferred to the specialist Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, at Pendlebury.

He had two cardiac arrests during a 10-hour battle for life before doctors finally conceded defeat.

Annette, 30, a switchboard operator at the BT Exchange in Jubilee Street, Blackburn, said: "I was cuddling him when he died. I am absolutely devastated.

"I cannot put into words how I feel. I have since found out that a little girl at Ashley's school caught meningitis before Easter.

"She has recovered but nobody was informed about the case. Surely somebody had a duty to tell the other parents.

"I know that antibiotics may not have stopped Ashley getting the disease, but it may have saved him.

"Too many children are dying from this disease and it is time it stopped." Dr Robert Aston, consultant in communicable disease control with Wigan and Bolton Health Authority, said: "It is my professional view that there is no evidence to link the cases.

"The first case occurred after the start of the Easter holidays. It is extremely difficult to get information to parents when a school is shut down and many parents go away.

"We had to make a judgment as to whether we would be doing more harm than good in sending out letters to parents.

"It was deemed there was no increased risk to other pupils as it was a single case so we chose not to send out a letter.

"There is no indication in a single case to recommend antibiotics or any sort of treatment to other pupils.

"When the school returned after the Easter holiday it was decided after talks with the headteacher and staff that we should not send out a letter to the other parents."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.