London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Herpes deaths: Doctor did not think rash was due to virus, inquest hears

Herpes deaths: Doctor did not think rash was due to virus, inquest hears

A hospital consultant said it did not cross his mind that a new mother who died shortly after giving birth had herpes, an inquest has heard.

Kim Sampson and Samantha Mulcahy gave birth by Caesarean section weeks apart at different hospitals run by the East Kent NHS Trust in 2018.

They both died of herpes shortly after giving birth.

A BBC investigation previously revealed the two women had been operated on by the same surgeon.

Ms Sampson became seriously ill after her baby was delivered at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

She was transferred to Kings College Hospital in London where she was diagnosed with a herpes infection and died on 22 May 2018.

Six weeks later, 32-year-old nursery nurse Ms Mulcahy died from an infection caused by the same virus at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

Dr God'swill Etokowo, who worked to deliver Ms Mulcahy's baby alongside another surgeon, who has been granted anonymity, said he was "worried" after noticing she was clearly in "pain and discomfort" and was involved in the decision to conduct a C-section.

There were concerns over her having pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure condition, the inquest was told.


'Had a rash'


Dr Etokowo said: "It didn't cross my mind that she had herpes.

"She had a rash but I didn't think it was a herpes rash."

He added: "I was not convinced she had pre-eclampsia, personally, but there was, of course, a chance."

Dr Etokowo said in hindsight he would have sent a blood test away if there was any doubt over whether Ms Mulcahy had an infection.

He said he did not know about Ms Sampson's death and how she died.

Dr Jonathan Purday, who was on shift while Ms Mulcahy was in hospital, told the inquest she had issues with her respiratory system.

Dr Purday said she did not eat or drink much after the pregnancy and required more oxygen than usual.

Ms Sampson's baby boy - her second child - was delivered at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate in May 2018.

She died at the end of the month in hospital in London after becoming infected.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×