Justice For Charlie

27/07/2021

Happy 11th Birthday Charlie Bear 💙

04/05/2021

"If he was a non-Indigenous person in a Sydney hospital then things would have been different."

25/03/2021

In 2017 the year Charlie passed away, the rates of Melioidosis were significantly higher than normal for the Northern Peninsula Are and Torres Strait Islands, yet the only public health advice or education during this time was AFTER he lost his life.

🔷Melioidosis becomes active during the wet season each year throughout Northern QLD and NT.

🔷Melioidosis is contracted through cuts in the skin, but can also be airborne.

🔷The signs and symptoms can include bronchitis or pneumonia, high fevers, sore joints, painful headaches, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues.

Health authorities say two people have died and four have required intensive care treatment after contracting the soil-borne disease melioidosis this year.

20/03/2021

Had the signs of sepsis been recognised early by Charlie’s treating practitioners, his story may have been very different.

Had the correct procedures and policies been followed by Charlie’s treating practitioners, Sepsis WOULD have been recognised earlier.

While it is important to educate everyone on the signs of sepsis so they can adequately advocate for themselves and others, triage nurses and doctors need to be vigilant in early detection.

14/01/2021

Four years ago today Charlie lost his life.

His family lost their life as they knew it, their future, their first born son.

The pain of losing Charlie will never heal. Today he should be preparing for a new school year, riding his bike, working on the car with Dad. His family should be watching him grow into a young man, instead they are reliving the nightmare of that day 4 years ago.

Charlie’s life will not be in vain. We are determined to improve the healthcare of our remote Indigenous communities and prevent other families from having to endure this grief

02/11/2020

Melioidosis is the disease that took Charlie’s life.

This disease is most prevalent in Northern Australia and disproportionately affects Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.
When Charlie passed away there was a high number of Melioidosis cases recorded over a 3 month period, within the small population of the Northern Penninsula Area. Charlie displayed multiple signs and symptoms and yet still was turned away.

With such a deadly disease causing death and disability in our country, why are we not hearing about it? Where is the awareness?

What is melioidosis?

Melioidosis is a disease caused by bacteria known as Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacteria live below the soil’s surface during
the dry season but after heavy rainfall are found in surface water and mud and may become airborne.

How is it spread?

The bacteria that causes melioidosis usually enters the body via cuts and sores in the skin or via inhalation of dust or droplets and very rarely by ingestion of contaminated water. The disease has been found among some domestic and farm animals. Melioidosis does not usually spread from one person to another or from animals to humans.

Where does melioidosis usually occur?

Melioidosis is found in tropical areas throughout the world, particularly in South East Asia and northern Australia.
In Australia cases typically occur in the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT) and in far north Queensland and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Cases have been found in the NT occasionally as far south as the Tennant Creek region.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of melioidosis depend on the site of the infection and this can vary. Often it starts as a chest infection with shortness of breath, productive cough and fever. Other possible presentations include fever with headache and confusion, or pain and/or difficulty passing urine. People can become ill
from 1 to 21 days after being infected and the onset of symptoms may be sudden or gradual. The infection can be fatal and
melioidosis requires urgent medical attention and treatment with specific antibiotics. In some cases the illness may come on much
more slowly with weight loss, intermittent fever, chest pain and a cough. Some people may present with skin ulcers, boils or joint or
bone infections. There have also been cases where the
disease has caused illness many years after the initial infection. In these cases, the bacteria have been carried by the person and
have become active due to a weakening of the immune system. The diagnosis of melioidosis is made by growing the bacteria with laboratory testing of blood, sputum, urine or a swab from an
abscess or non-healing ulcer.

Who is at risk?

People most at risk are those with conditions such as diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, kidney disease, lung disease, and cancer and those on immunosuppressive therapy including steroids. Healthy people can also get the disease if they work in muddy soil without good hand and foot protection. Children are at a lower risk for acquiring melioidosis compared with adults. However, it is still possible for children to acquire melioidosis during the wet season, particularly those with chronic diseases or
weakened immune systems.

What is the treatment?

All patients should be admitted to hospital initially. They are treated with antibiotics, which usually have to be continued for at
least 3 months. If treatment is started early, recovery is usually complete. It is important to complete all antibiotics to prevent a
relapse.

How can melioidosis be prevented?

There is currently no vaccine against melioidosis. Therefore preventive measures are the key to avoiding infection. People with
past melioidosis can be infected again after new exposure
Waterproof shoes or boots will protect your feet when you walk in wet soil where there is pooled water or you work in muddy
conditions, for example, when gardening or working in excavations. Open footwear such as sandals are not very good protection.
Protective gloves should be worn when handling soil, particularly during the wet season. Wounds should be promptly and thoroughly washed clean and covered. If necessary, use pumping equipment to control water ingress when working in
excavations. Due to the potential for aerosolisation
(airborne droplets) of Burkholderia pseudomallei people with risk factors such as diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, kidney
disease, lung disease and cancer and those on immunosuppressive therapy should stay indoors during periods of heavy wind and
rain in the Top End. People using high pressure hoses around soil should cover their mouths and noses with a mask to avoid
inhalation of bacteria. Children should avoid playing in muddy
areas, wet sandpits or places where water has pooled in grassy areas or where grassed areas are boggy. Sandpits which are dry or
dry enough to comfortably play in are also low risk.

These preventative measures are most important if you have any of the following conditions:
 diabetes
 heavy alcohol consumption (>20 standard
drinks a week or binge drinking)
 kidney disease
 lung disease
 cancer
 receiving immunosuppressive therapy,
including steroids
 cuts or sores in your skin, particularly on
the hands and feet.

SOURCE: NT government

https://digitallibrary.health.nt.gov.au/prodjspui/bitstream/10137/1222/1/Melioidosis%20Dec%202015.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2NQJEaeaaXCluVT9upEB_86beT_hpXKNxj6afK6vi6B-IshFryHSyQjQM

20/10/2020

‘While failure to recognise and treat sepsis has caused preventable deaths and disabilities in people from all walks of life, we know that the burden of severe sepsis falls disproportionately on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’

Failure to recognise and treat sepsis results in another tragic and preventable death. Statement by

12/10/2020

989FM BIMA radio interviewed Charlie’s Aunty Madeleine Turner to gain further insight into Charlie’s story and the systematic failures that lead to his passing. Listen here at

Madeleine Turner is the Aunty of a young Torres Strait Islander boy from Bamaga whose name is Charlie Gowa his a six-year-old boy, after waking up one morning too sick to eat breakfast his mother knew…

11/10/2020

A damning review by the Qld's Office of the Health Ombudsman has revealed the systemic issues that lead to the 2017 death of a six-year-old Torres Strait Islander boy.

11/10/2020

The Northern Coroner has released a public report with the findings of their investigation into Charlie’s death.
The Coroner reinforces the dismal treatment of Charlie by the individuals and system who should have protected him.

11/10/2020

Read the full ombudsmen’s report detailing the systematic investigation into Bamaga Hospital following Charlie’s passing

This report details the findings of the investigation undertaken by the Office of the Health Ombudsman into the quality and safety of health services in the context of the care provided to Charlie Gowa at Bamaga Hospital, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) in early January 2017. Dow...