Two children who attended a Liverpool primary school which is battling an outbreak of an infectious stomach bug have died.
The pair, believed to be just five and six years old, had been pupils at Millstead Primary School, which provides education for children with special needs in Everton, Merseyside.
Their headteacher said everyone connected with the school was ‘devastated’ by their deaths, and that they had ‘filled their classes with joy’.
The school had been dealing with an outbreak of giardiasis, an infection caused by a parasite which causes diarrhoea, stomach cramps, flatulence and bloating.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had been managing the outbreak of the illness and said that although the reason for their deaths has not been confirmed as of yet, it is ‘unlikely’ to be due to the bug.