The family of Liam Dahlberg is urging parents to make sure their children are protected against the aggressive illness
An 8-year-old boy from Indiana passed away due to a rare bacterial infection that he probably got from a child who wasn’t vaccinated, as stated by doctors.
Ashlee Dahlberg shared in an interview with WHTR that this is not just a regular flu. She explained how the invasive Haemophilus influenzae, also called “H. flu” or “Hib,” took her son’s life in just a few hours.
Liam Dahlberg came back from school in April complaining of a headache. The following morning, his family hurried him to the hospital because he was barely responsive. An MRI showed something unimaginable: “They found a huge amount of bacteria covering his brain and spinal cord,” his mother told the news outlet. “At that moment, they realized there was nothing they could do.”
Haemophilus influenzae is a type of bacteria that causes infections, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Even though it has ‘influenza’ in its name, it is not related to the flu at all. A mild case can lead to bronchitis, but more serious cases can result in septic arthritis, septicemia, and in Liam’s situation, meningitis, which is an infection in the brain and spinal cord.
She posted a video of her son in pain and moaning while in the hospital. She told the news outlet, “I would never wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy. It was so hard to hear the doctor say that we did everything right, but there was nothing more we could do. Then, I had to lay there with him as they took him off life support, and I could feel his little heartbeat slowly fade away.”
Dr. Eric Yancy, a pediatrician, told WHTR that this disease was really terrible before the vaccine came out. He mentioned that Liam probably got Hib from someone who wasn’t vaccinated, maybe another child, since fewer kids are getting vaccinated these days.
The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) says that before the Hib vaccine was introduced in 1985, around 20,000 children in the U.S. would get serious infections, and some of them could even die. CHOP also points out that most kids affected by Hib were usually healthy and well-fed. They add that kids who survive a Hib infection might end up with serious issues like paralysis, deafness, blindness, or mental disabilities.
The Cleveland Clinic explains that Hib spreads through respiratory droplets and can be contagious even if the infected person doesn’t show any symptoms.
“Liam was a clever and lively young boy, bursting with energy and possibilities. His smile brought happiness and comfort to all those around him,” his family shared in a GoFundMe set up to assist with their sudden medical expenses.
“There’s no words that can describe that pain,” Dahlberg told WHTR. “I feel I have failed my child because I could not protect him from everything that would cause harm.”