Doctors urge caution as Perth family shares heartbreak of losing little girl to influenza
The little girl's family shared their tragic experience over the weekend, describing their daughter, Aabi, as the "heart of our home".
In an open letter shared by the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, the toddler's family described how quickly the girl deteriorated from influenza — from a slight fever to unresponsive in just two days — shortly after they returned from an overseas holiday.
"Saturday, May 3, began normally. After her routine banana and milk, Aabi vomited about an hour later," her mother wrote.
"As I cleaned her, I noticed she felt lukewarm … her fever rose significantly in the night but settled an hour after the medicine."
The next morning, Aabi, who was unvaccinated, seemed to be feeling better. But things quickly changed.
"Around 11am, she started warming up again, complaining of a headache … I sat beside her, waiting for the fever to drop, but it kept climbing," her mother wrote.
Panic set in when a thermometer recorded Aabi's temperature at 40.6 degrees Celsius, and the family rushed her to the hospital.
"Upon reaching the hospital, Aabi vomited, remaining drowsy," her mother wrote.
"By the time emergency medications, for suspected flu, sepsis, or meningitis, could be administered, she had a gentle seizure."
The decision was made to transfer Aabi to the intensive care unit.
"As soon as she reached the ICU, she had to be intubated. The CT scan wasn't fully indicative of the problem's [severity]; an MRI would be necessary," her mother wrote.
"But from that moment, her pupils were non-responsive, and she was beyond anyone's help.
"I believe we lost her at that point."
Aabi's mother described the two-year-old as a healthy and active girl.
"The radiant joy of our lives and the very heart of our home … talking endlessly, delighting in dancing, and singing along to music with her sister," her mother wrote.
"We lost our beautiful Aabi at the hands of what seemed like a 'mere virus'.
"Aabi was a blessing we had for too short a time. Our lives remain incomplete, and we wish no parent ever has to endure this ordeal."
The Immunisation Foundation of Australia, which helped share Aabi's story, was started by Catherine Hughes, whose four-week-old child died from whooping cough in 2015.
The charity advocates for the importance of immunisation, including for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough.
The winter flu surge has led to spikes in hospital admissions due to influenza and other viruses.
Data from the Australian Respiratory Surveillance report showed 180 people died from influenza between January and April — a 73 per cent increase from the same period last year — including two children under 16 years of age.
Australian Medical Association president Dr Danielle McMullen said these figures, and the tragic case of Aabi's death, highlighted the importance of vaccines.
"[It] should be a stark reminder to all of us that while the flu can sometimes be a mild illness, it can be life-threatening, and every year, we lose lives to the flu," she said.
Across Australia, free flu vaccinations are available for children aged six months to five years old, adults 65 years old and older, all pregnant women, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Dr McMullen said she was aware of hospitals around the country that have had to delay planned surgeries due to a surge in hospitalisations from flu cases.
"Every year, we see different strains of flu in our community and sometimes, they're more severe," she said.
"There are some reports showing that this year, while we're seeing maybe not more cases of flu than we had last year, that we are seeing quite a number of hospitalisations."
Dr McMullen said flu vaccination rates were still lagging behind pre-COVID figures.
"We need to get back to really high vaccination rates to protect the most vulnerable in our community. It's never too late to vaccinate," she said.
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