POLITICIANS are backing a Caerwent family’s awareness campaign to get toxic shock syndrome on the school curriculum.

Monmouth MP David Da-vies tabled a written question to Health Minister, Jeremy Hunt, last week asking how many teenagers and women had died of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) from using tampons in the last five years.

It comes just over two years after the death of Caerwent teen Natasha Scott-Falber, who died on February 14, 2013, of TSS aged 14.

The response provided by the Office of National Statistics (ONS)showed that 13 females died of TSS from tampon use from 2009 to 2014 with two girls aged 13-19.

The data shows 11 women aged 20 plus have died in the past few years including two in 2013 and five in 2010.

Glen Watson, director general of ONS, said in the letter to Mr Davies that deaths in relation to TSS are not always recorded on the death certificates and due to this it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for the number of teenage girls and women who have died from TSS specifically caused by tampon use using information collected at death registration.

Mr Davies said: “It’s a very small number which is welcomed, but there is a hint in the question that some others who have died of TSS could have been recorded as something else.

“Clearly we are talking about a low number, but for those people who will be affected and the families affected by this it is absolutely devastating.

“I wasn’t aware of it before. I am a parent of daughters – every parent needs to be aware of this as well as girls.”

Both Mr Davies and AWilliam Graham, AM for South Wales East, are supporting Natasha Scott-Falber’s family in her campaign to get TSS on the school curriculum.

Mr Graham raised the question of putting TSS on the school curriculum at the Welsh assembly last month and has since passed on information on TSS to the Donaldson report which was published last week which recommends a new curriculum for Wales.

He has two daughters in their 20s, but was not aware of TSS until Natasha died.

“From now on they will start to look at the curriculum and the Donaldson report,” he said. “It takes years to change the curriculum, but at least now TSS has a place as part of the sex and relationship programme.

“We need get it in education and push and see that it does get there.”

A Welsh Government spo-kesman said it would publish its response to professor Donaldson’s report, Successful Futures, in the summer.

Visit tssaware.org.uk for more information.