News & Current Events
Indiana Boy, 8, Dies Hours After Contracting Rare Brain Infection At School
In order to alert others about a rare bacterial infection that killed her son in a matter of hours, a mother is expressing her sorrow.
Last month, eight-year-old Liam Dahlberg of Indiana came home from school complaining of a headache; the following day, he passed away.
Haemophilus influenzae, commonly referred to as H. flu, was identified as the cause of his brain and spinal cord infections.
As the medical staff turned off Liam’s life support, his mother Ashlee claimed to have experienced “indescribable pain” while she laid with him in his last moments.
Although it sounds like the flu, haemophilus influenzae is actually a bacterium rather than a virus, and infections are far less common and more deadly.
A weaker immune system or another viral illness, such as a cold, can allow H. flu to enter the bloodstream and cause the body to attack healthy organs. However, in many healthy people, H. flu can exist innocuously in the nose and throat.
Ashlee told local news station 13wmaz: “I would never wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy ever. It’s hard. To have sat there and listened to the doctors say, You did everything right, there’s just nothing we could do.”
“[And] to lay there with him as they took him off life support, I could feel his little heartbeat fade away — there’s no words that can describe that pain.”
Since Liam had received all of his recommended childhood vaccines against H. flu, the family is still unaware of how he contracted the illness.
Babies receive the vaccination over the course of three doses, and it is approximately 95% efficient at avoiding illnesses.
In April, however, Liam returned home from school feeling ill. The next morning, his family took him to the hospital when his headache did not go away.
Ashlee told local news, “They took him to an MRI. That’s when they discovered the amount of bacteria that was covering his brain and spinal cord.”
“Basically at that point in time, there was nothing they could do.”
Meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, was brought on by the infection’s spread.
He was deemed brain dead since the damage was so quick and severe.
His family characterised Liam as “a bright and smart young boy, full of life and potential” on a GoFundMe page created to assist with the medical expenses.
The post further states, “His presence brought joy and warmth to everyone he met.”
Physicians believe Liam may have contracted a breakthrough infection from an unvaccinated student who had high concentrations of the bacteria at school.
Healthy people’s noses harbour H. flu, which is transferred by coughing and sneezing.
The infection used to cause 20,000 severe infections annually in the US, primarily in children under five, until a vaccine was introduced in 1985.
Nowadays, there are less than 50 instances in young children annually, almost all of which are in children who are either partially or completely unvaccinated.
However, vaccination uptake has decreased recently, which has been attributed to a generalised scepticism in vaccines.
Ashlee is advising parents to ensure that all of their children have received all recommended vaccinations.
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