Teenage girl dies of toxic shock syndrome after using tampon for first time

One British family has started a campaign to raise awareness about toxic shock syndrome, after their 14-year-old daughter died when she used a tampon for the first time, BBC News reported.

According to her family, 14-year-old Natasha Scott-Falber of Wales followed all of the instructions and used the tampon correctly before her death in February of this year.

“Generally speaking, it is accepted knowledge that leaving a tampon in for too long can cause toxic shock syndrome,” the family wrote in a message on Facebook. "But in Natasha's case… it was simply the introduction of the tampon into her body which caused the toxic shock syndrome to take effect.”

The family said Natasha suffered signs of the infection, but they had attributed the symptoms to the norovirus, which she had contracted a week before.  Natasha died early in the morning on Valentine’s Day after falling asleep watching television.

Now to honor their daughter, the Falber family is hoping to warn others about the dangers of toxic shock syndrome.  According to BBC News, they plan on speaking with Public Health Wales and many major tampon companies on how they can raise awareness about the condition.

"We are determined to make at least everyone in the U.K. aware of what the symptoms are, and what the risks are," they family wrote.

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare – and potentially deadly – bacterial infection that is caused by toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria.  According to the Mayo Clinic, TSS has long been associated with the use of superabsorbent tampons, but the condition can also affect men, children and postmenopausal women.

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