An expert has said it is “extremely unlikely” that the deaths of two mothers who had both given birth at a Winchester hospital on the same day are not linked.
Teachers Amy Kimmance, 39, and Jasmine Pickett, 29, both gave birth at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital on December 21, but after they were discharged, Mrs Kimmance, who had a girl, died on December 23 and Mrs Pickett, who had a boy, died on December 24.
Both of the women died from complications caused by a group A streptococcal infection, but the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust has said investigations so far show their deaths were coincidental.
Mark Enright, professor of molecular epidemiology at Imperial College, London said it was possible the deaths were not linked, but he believed there was a high chance they were.
He said: “If you look at the national figures, you are talking about around 100 women dying after giving birth in the UK every year.”
The chances of two women dying after giving birth on the same day in the same hospital from the same infection were very small, he said.
“It’s extremely unlikely in my view that they are not linked,” he added.
Copyright © PA Business 2008
