A COMMON childhood illness Anna Martin caught during pregnancy left her daughter Genevieve with lifelong disabilities – despite being reassured by doctors that it was “just a virus”.

The 31-year-old visited her GP and A&E five times while pregnant, suspecting she had caught chickenpox from her older child.

Despite having tell-tale symptoms, Anna says her concerns were repeatedly dismissed – she was never tested for chickenpox or treated at the time.

As a result, Genevieve was born in November with congenital varicella syndrome (CVS), a rare and severe condition that can develop after a mother catches chickenpox early in pregnancy.

Genevieve was born with a shorter right leg and three toes on her foot. At just 14 months old, Anna and her fiancé Iain Lewis, 32, made the difficult decision to have her right foot amputated because of the limb differences caused by the virus.

Now three, Genevieve is also at increased risk of learning difficulties, sight and hearing loss, as well as other limb differences.

Anna, from Chesterfield, Derbys., has now launched legal action against Chesterfield Royal Hospital and her GP surgery and is calling on the NHS to strengthen protections for expectant mothers.

She said: “What should have been a normal, joyful pregnancy became a nightmare because of what I believe was a preventable failure in the system.

“We were let down by the NHS, by my GP surgery and by Chesterfield Royal Hospital.”

At just five weeks pregnant, Anna’s daughter Josephine, five, came home from her childminder with chickenpox.

Anna soon developed fever and flu-like symptoms and visited her surgery, explaining she had been exposed.

“I was told it was likely a virus and sent home,” she said.

“Over the next week, I returned twice more as my symptoms didn’t improve. Each time, I was reassured it was a virus.”

Anna says she was eventually diagnosed with chickenpox after visiting A&E, but antiviral medication was not given until her second hospital visit.

By then, she believes it was too late to change the outcome for Genevieve.

“She is currently doing well,” Anna said. “She suffers with fatigue, discomfort and spasms most nights but she is mobile in moderation and full of light and laughter.”

Anna has also launched a petition calling for the NHS to reconsider its current approach to testing pregnant women exposed to chickenpox.

She said: “What matters most to us is raising awareness of how serious chickenpox can be in pregnancy.

“Had a more preventative approach been taken, my daughter may have been spared the disabilities she now lives with.”

Chesterfield Royal Hospital said it continues to work with representatives of Ms Martin regarding her concerns, adding that it would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation and legal process continues.