A 14-year old died from toxic shock syndrome as a result of using her first tampon, according to the Daily Mail.
Natasha Scott-Falber was found dead on Valentine's Day, five days after she fell ill when she contacted a rare bacterial infection that can be triggered by the absorbency of tampons. Falber's family believes that her death was caused by toxic shock syndrome - a type of infection that affects 40 people a year in the United Kingdom.
Falber's family, specifically her mother, Mandy Scott, brother, Daniel Falber, stepfather, Mark Scott and stepmother Linda Falber, launched a campaign on Facebook centered on raising awareness for the condition so that other sufferers spot the signs earlier. They said: "Natasha died of toxic shock syndrome the first time she used tampons."
"Generally speaking, it is accepted knowledge that leaving a tampon in for too long can cause toxic shock syndrome. In Natasha's case, she followed all of the instructions and used the tampon correctly; it was simply the introduction of tampon into her body which caused toxic shock syndrome to take effect," her family members added.
They further explained: "Tash became ill five days before she died but remained in good spirits, and the only evening before she died, she was telling Mandy off for fussing over her, and said she was feeling much better. She died peacefully at approximately 6:45 in the morning on Valentine's Day after falling asleep watching one of her favorite TV programs." Natasha's father was the one who found her dead. BUPA, an international healthcare group released a statement, saying: "It's not exactly understood why using a tampon is linked with toxic shock syndrome, but tampon absorbency or the amount of menstrual blood a tampon absorbs is thought to be a factor."
