Cheri Burns of The Daily Record reports a UK mum has told of her anger after her daughter’s symptoms of a potentially deadly strain of E. coli were “ignored” by medics.

One-year-old Myla Smith has been diagnosed with E. coli 157 – the same virus bacteria that claimed the life of a child in Dunbartonshire and infected dozens of others during a recent outbreak.

A multi-agency incident management team (IMT) chaired by Health Protection Scotland are carrying out an investigation after 20 people fell ill after eating Dunsyre blue cheese.

Although Myla’s condition is now stable, parent Siobhan Mclelland, from Johnstone in Renfrewshire, said she cannot bare to think about what could have happened after claiming doctors repeatedly missed the signs.

The tot became unwell earlier this month, suffering from bouts of repeated vomiting and diarrhea.

And, when Siobhan, 20, spotted blood in her stools, she knew something was very wrong.

But, despite rushing Myla to the Accident and Emergency department at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital several times over a seven-day period, Siobhan insists her worries were not taken seriously.

She claimed: “Myla was sick as a dog for days, and when I saw the blood I knew something wasn’t right.

“I took her to hospital on five occasions and they examined her and took blood, but was told it was viral and felt fobbed off.”

Trusting her instincts, Siobhan said it was only after persistence that the problem was treated with more urgency, with samples being sent off for testing at a facility in Edinburgh.

And, just two days later, the parent was stunned to receive a phone call from doctors telling her that the E. coli bug had been detected in results.

Myla now has to return to her local hospital for blood tests and monitoring regularly.

Describing her disappointment at the care her family received, Siobhan told the Record: “I can’t believe what happened – things could’ve been so much worse.

“One doctor we saw didn’t even properly look at Myla, just said she was fine.”

An NHS spokeswoman said: “This patient has been appropriately managed as an outpatient with ongoing monitoring by our pediatric team.

“If her family has any issues they should contact the hospital and we would be happy to address any of their concerns.”