Isaiah Afflick-Paynter died aged 14 months after contracting enterovirus His mother was told she should give him cough medicine when he fell ill Infant suffered cardiac arrest from virus which usually just gives you a cold An apparently healthy baby boy died in his sleep during a morning nap after contracting a common virus which usually manifests itself as nothing worse than a minor fever. Isaiah Afflick-Paynter, aged just 14 months, went into cardiac arrest when he contracted enterovirus - though his mother was told that all he needed was cough medicine. After an inquest into the infant's death, his parents paid tribute to his 'big smile' and spoke of their devastation at his sudden death. Tragedy: Isaiah Afflick-Paynter died in July after contracting the common enterovirus The little boy fell ill in July, worrying his parents as he appeared breathless and threw up at home in Ribbleton, Lancashire. His mother Chanel Afflick called an NHS Primary Care helpline and was told he probably had an infection and should get some rest. The next day, a chemist advised her to give Isaiah cough medicine, and she put him to bed after dropping his older brother Malachi off at school. But when she tried to wake him he was unresponsive, so she rushed him to Royal Preston Hospital where he was put on life support, but he was pronounced dead an hour later. An inquest into the youngster's death in Preston found that he had died of natural causes. Mother: Chanel Afflick thought he just had a cough and put him to bed for a nap after doing the school run Tribute: Isaiah's parents said he had a 'big smile' and loved spending time with his family Ms Afflick, 32, told the hearing: 'He was just being sick, I rang Primary Care on Sunday evening and they said there was nothing they could do and to stick it out. On Monday morning we took Malachi to school and on the way back I nipped to the chemist and said he was being sick and had a cough. They could only offer cough medicine. 'We went home and laid on the settee, I said we'd go for a lie down, he had a bit of toast and I thought he was getting better. 'He went to sleep but then he wasn't waking up. I ran across to my neighbour's house and they tried to bring him round, then we got the ambulance. You just never imagine that your baby will die. You think that after one year old they are safe and past any harm. The inquest heard that Isaiah had contracted an enterovirus from food or something in his environment, and that while most children suffer only a minor illness from the virus it can occasionally prove fatal. Hearing: Paul Paynter and Ms Afflick outside Preston Coroner's Court after the inquest into Isaiah's death Finding: The coroner declared a verdict of death by natural causes saying there was nothing to be done Paediatric pathologist Melanie Newbould told the inquest: 'It's an oral route, it could be on food, or could be due to touching something and putting it in his mouth. It could have been a number of days that he had it, but probably didn't have any symptoms which related to it.' She added: 'In a small number of people this might affect the heart muscle and get a marked inflammation in the heart muscle. Enterovirus is an umbrella term for a group of viruses which cause diseases ranging from the common cold to the crippling illness polio. The virus is usually transmitted by eating contaminated food or touching surfaces which are carrying the pathogen. The most common illness caused by the virus is a cold and fever, which are usually defeated by the body's immune system within a few days. However, some patients suffer a more severe reaction, leading to cardiac arrest which can prove fatal. Enterovirus is also a well-known cause of meningitis in children, while some strains of the virus lead to polio, another devastating childhood illness. It is not possible to determine whether or not children are likely to suffer an adverse reaction from enterovirus, nor is there a reliable treatment for it. 'For reasons that we don't understand people get the enterovirus infection and it goes to the heart muscle and it can be fatal. Of those people who die of this infection the majority would be in this age group of one to two years of age. 'It could have been because his heart muscle was inflamed and didn't work as well, or you can get an increase of fluid in the lungs. There is nothing that can be done against the virus because we don't have the treatment. When I examined the heart it was slightly large, in particular the muscle of the heart looked quite pale and looked quite patchy. It made me think that there must have been something wrong with the heart muscle, it made me think this could be an infection of the heart muscle. When I looked at the heart under the microscope it was severely inflamed. It appears to me he died due to inflammation of the heart muscle which he got because of an oral infection. Everything else was normal. Speaking after the inquest, Isaiah's father Paul Paynter, 39, said: 'My boy was as good a son as any could be. He was a very happy boy and we are heartbroken that he has gone. He had a big smile and was known for it. He has two older sisters and an older brother, Malachi. They were very close even though he still wasn't able to speak. Since his death I have found it more difficult to look forward. All we have now are memories. The medics were fantastic and tried for a lengthy period of time to save him. Police investigated the little boy's death but could not find any cause for concern, saying that Isaiah had been a 'beautiful boy'. Tests showed the cause of death as being of myocarditis due to enterovirus. Coroner Simon Jones told the boy's family: 'In a tiny minority of people particularly in young children it is sadly a fatal condition because there is nothing that can be done. It is a viral infection where you have to hope for the body to recover on its own. This is a naturally occurring condition.