Doctors are fighting to protect children from mouldy homes after death of Awaab Ishak

When Sonia Destouche moved into a local authority flat in Walthamstow, east London, in 2014, pregnant with her son, the ground floor flat was infested with ants and showing signs of damp and mould. Black patches spread across the bedroom floor and walls, turning green and grey with damp. Later, the kitchen and bathroom became affected too.Every time the council sent someone to sort the mould it seemed to return with a vengeance, she says.Before her son Jahmarley was 1 year old, he stopped breathing and was rushed to hospital by paramedics. Asthma was subsequently diagnosed, and he needed regular inhalers. Sonia also developed respiratory problems.Over the years, doctors, nursery workers, and the school had all written letters to support her pleas to be moved. Finally, after getting a lawyer and appearing on Channel 5 News, the pair were rehoused. By this time Jahmarley was 8 years old.In the two…