A BABY has died in hospital after contracting what is usually a mild childhood disease.

Eight-month-old Faye Grace died at Newcastle General Hospital within days of contracting chickenpox.

Doctors told her parents that the odds of a child dying from chickenpox were a million-to-one.

Yesterday her mother, Hayley Graham, and father Stuart Grace, from Walker, Newcastle, warned other parents to be on their guard against the disease.

"When she went into hospital I never expected that I wouldn't be bringing her home," said Miss Graham, 22.

"We are all devastated and just can't believe it's happened," she said.

A week before Faye died, her brothers, five-year-old John and Aaron, four, had caught chickenpox at their school, St Anthony's Primary, in Walker.

On May 8, Miss Graham noticed spots on the baby's upper body and took her to the family's GP.

"Her temperature was starting to soar. I took her to the doctors four times but each time they sent me away and said just keep giving her ibuprofen and paracetamol," said Miss Graham.

But on May 13, Miss Graham noticed Faye's right leg had started to turn purple and the worried mother called for an ambulance.

Faye was taken into intensive care but later that day her kidneys failed and she died in hospital.

A spokeswoman for the regional Health Protection Agency, in Newcastle, said chickenpox was a virus that usually caused mild illness.

She said: "Most healthy children who develop it recover well with no complications. There is no specific treatment because it is a viral infection which does not respond to antibiotics.

"Treatment is therefore usually based on reducing symptoms such as fever and itchiness."

People who can experience more serious complications include very young babies, pregnant women and those with immune systems which are not working properly.

A spokesperson for Newcastle Primary Care Trust said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to baby Faye's family - it is extremely rare for a child to die from chicken pox and our thoughts are with them at this time.

"Chicken pox is a reasonably common childhood illness and we would reassure parents that serious complications, side effects and death are very rare."