A six-month-old baby died from bacterial meningitis after he was rescued from a mold-ridden condemned house in Minnesota.
On Friday, police responded to a medical call at the home in Big Lake, Minnesota, and found six-month-old Gideon Peter Mwangi unresponsive and not breathing, Fox 9 reported. Big Lake is a city about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
Police said that officers responding to a 911 call found an “extremely dirty and cluttered house” with “black mold in numerous locations throughout the house.”
Officials say first responders administered life-saving measures on Mwangi, but the infant was unable to be saved, KARE 11 reported. The infant was determined to have died from bacterial meningitis - a deadly infection near the brain.
Meanwhile, neighbors told Fox 9 that they had called the police over concerns about the safety of the nine children living in the house.
The home has since been deemed unlivable by health officials, according to the report. It was not immediately clear what happened to the other children living in the home after it was found to be in such poor condition.
Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection that can quickly worsen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It can cause brain damage, seizures, paralysis, or stroke, and in some cases can be fatal. Experts aren’t sure why the disease occurs, however, it is most common in infants younger than a year and people ages 16 to 21.
Symptoms of bacterial meningitis include a painful stiff neck, headaches, high fever, rashes and bruises. Other symptoms to look for in children include irritability, vomiting from a high fever, frequent crying, swelling of the head, lack of appetite and seizures.
Experts say these symptoms come on quickly, and anyone who thinks they may be infected should head to an emergency room immediately.
The investigation into Mwangi’s death remains ongoing.
No arrests had been made in the case as of Tuesday.
