8-year-old boy contracts H flu and dies within 20 hours. ‘Nothing they could do'
Ashlee Dahlberg, of Lowell, is now imploring parents to vaccinate their children following the April 28 death of her son, Liam Dahlberg.
She told WTHR her immunocompromised son complained about a headache when he returned home from school. When he was taken to a hospital the next morning, an MRI uncovered 'bacteria that was covering his brain and spinal cord,' the mother said.
'At that point in time, there was nothing they could do,' Dahlberg told WTHR.
Liam had contracted H flu, also known as Haemophilus influenzae or Hib. The disease developed into a meningitis infection, a loved one said in a GoFundMe.
Liam, described in the GoFundMe as a 'bright and smart young boy... full of life and potential,' was declared brain dead within 20 hours following the onset of his symptoms, his mother said in a Facebook post.
'To sit there and be told my son was a 1 in a million case and that he was basically handed his death card the minute he came into contact with that UNVACCINATED child, who is a carrier because of the simple fact he/she is UNVACCINATED, makes me sick,' Dahlberg said.
Haemophilus influenzae bacteria live in people's noses and throat, and while they don't typically cause harm, they can travel across the body and pose danger, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bacteria is spread to others when people breathe in small respiratory droplets that are created when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the CDC says.
Health officials say the best way to prevent H flu is to get vaccinated, as the CDC recommends all children younger than 5 to receive a vaccination for the disease.
It's why Dahlberg has created a Change.org petition asking for religious exemptions for school immunizations to be eliminated.
'We must act swiftly and decisively to prevent further tragedies,' she said in the petition. 'Ensuring that all children in public schools are vaccinated, barring medical exemptions, protects not only those children but all members of society.'
Liam was a third grade student at Lake Praire Elementary School in Lowell, according to an obituary.
Lowell is about a 135-mile drive northwest from Indianapolis.
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