Tragedy as six-year-old kindergarten student dies of the flu after she was discharged from hospital
The kindergartner had presented to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick on August 4 and was discharged, only to be brought back by her worried father later the same day.
On the second visit she was diagnosed with influenza A and discharged again. She was then taken to Northern Beaches Hospital shortly after where she died, reported The Manly Observer.
Sydney Children's Hospital and Northern Beaches Hospital will conduct a joint review into the case.
The matter had also been referred to the Coroner for a separate inquest.
Sydney Children's Hospital said in a statement that the patient had presented at the emergency department and was discharged after she was assessed.
She then returned and was discharged with 'at-home guidance' for influenza.
'Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (SCHN) has learnt the patient later tragically died. SCHN expresses our deepest condolences to the family for the loss of their child.'
Northern Beaches Hospital told the publication it was 'deeply saddened by the tragic loss' and and that an independent review and coronial inquest would be conducted.
Across Australia in the first half of 2025 there were more than 150,000 lab confirmed cases of influenza.
Vaccine coverage for influenza sits at just 24.24 per cent nationally and 14 per cent for those under the age of 50.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
FIFO worker Carmen thought she was fit and healthy until a routine check-up turned her life upside down. This is her powerful plea as she fights for life
A fly-in, fly-out worker battling stage four metastatic cancer has urged Australians to 'trust your gut' after her own instincts led to a life-changing diagnosis. Brisbane woman Carmen Keogh, 33, thought she was fit and healthy until a routine check-up in late 2024 turned her life upside down. Despite having no obvious symptoms, a PET scan revealed that her body was riddled with tumours beneath the skin. She's been in the fight of her life ever since. 'There were spots on my liver, lungs, lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue and on my bones as well,' she told the Daily Mercury. 'I was more in shock than anything, I remember just thinking 'are you sure that's my scan?'' It's believed the cancer spread from a clear, itchy mole Ms Keogh had removed seven years ago. At the time, doctors assured the mole was unproblematic but, knowing her cousin had a similar mole that turned out to be melanoma, Ms Keogh insisted it be removed. After testing identified the mole as a Clark Level IV melanoma, Ms Keogh received treatment and was assured the cancer hadn't spread. After having a second mole removed a few months later, she learned she carried a rare gene mutation and was highly susceptible to cancer. Her worst fears became reality seven years later. Despite knowing cancer was on her 'radar', the extent of the tumours was difficult to reconcile with the absence of symptoms. Ms Keogh underwent five rounds of immunotherapy, which failed to contain the spread. 'Unfortunately it wasn't cancer had progressed,' she said. The only approved option left was therapy tablets, which resulted in rare and frightening side effects early on. Thankfully, the side effects have worn off and the treatment has reduced the visible tumours in her subcutaneous tissue. But Ms Keogh realises she will likely become resistant to the treatment. Had the immunotherapy worked, her oncologist said there was a 62 per cent chance Ms Keogh would still be alive in five years' time. The five-year survival rate for stage four metastatic cancer in Australia is less than 25 per cent. 'But since immunotherapy treatment hasn't worked, I haven't actually asked her what the prognosis is… I don't know if I want to know, if it'll make it worse,' she said. Despite her diagnosis, Ms Keogh juggles endless medical appointments with full-time work on a seven days on/seven-off roster at Hail Creek, an open-cut mine in Queensland's Isaac Region. Ms Keogh understands the importance of trusting your instincts when it comes to health, having lost her own mother to ovarian cancer when she was just 17. 'Don't ignore your body even if you feel healthy, keep up with regular checks and trust your gut if something feels off,' she told the newspaper. Ms Keogh's loved ones have launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with soaring medical expenses and alternative treatment options. If the current treatment stops working, her last resort will be experimental clinical trials which cost up to $90,000. 'Fighting cancer is hard enough — but fighting to afford to stay alive is an impossible weight,' the fundraiser reads. 'Carmen's hope lies in alternative treatments and clinical trials, which come at a devastating cost: $70,000 to $90,000 — none of it covered by insurance or government funding. 'She's still working full-time, managing endless appointments, and pushing through overwhelming fatigue; however she can't do this alone anymore.' Donations will also allow Ms Keogh to participate in clinical trials, fund scans, medications and hospital visits, and take time off work to focus on recovery. 'Carmen has spent her life facing hardship with quiet strength. We are not asking for anything more than a fighting chance,' the fundraiser added. Despite the terrifying prognosis, Ms Keogh is planning a European holiday for next year and hopes to one day raise a family of her own.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
My doctor told me 'I was just getting old and to take a Panadol' but I refused to be brushed off. It saved my life
Deborah Terkely never skipped a beat when it came to her health. A busy mum-of-two running a small family business, she still made time for regular blood tests, breast checks, thyroid scans - the lot. 'I always told my doctors to make sure they checked my thyroid, because my sisters have issues,' Deborah told Daily Mail. 'My blood tests always came back perfect.' So when the then 39-year-old was suddenly struck down by her first ever excruciating migraine in 2022, she knew something wasn't right. 'It was quite confusing at the time because it was a very strange feeling. It was very debilitating,' she said. The Melbourne mum retreated to a dark bedroom, unable to move from the couch as the severe pain pulsed through her head and neck. 'I think it even took me a while to realise that it was a migraine, but it lasted for probably three days,' she said. 'It almost felt like I had a 20kg bowling ball stuck on my neck, and the weight and the pressure from that was creating so much pain that had to lie down.' When her regular painkillers weren't doing anything, Deborah's mind went to a dark place. Worried she might have a brain or spine tumour, Deborah booked in to see her long-time GP for some relief and to get to the bottom of the pain. But the response floored her. 'I explained to her what was happening, and she said to me, "Deb, you're just getting old. Maybe just take some Panadol",' she said. 'I said no to her, I knew something wasn't right. I felt let down.' Refusing to be brushed off, Deborah sought out a second opinion - and it may have saved her life. This time, the doctor immediately ordered an MRI. 'I was explaining it, and he [the specialist] was writing the script for me for the MRI right there and then,' she said. 'He said "we're not going to muck around, even if it's nothing, we're just going to have a look".' The good news? Her brain was clear. But the scan revealed something else - a three-centimetre mass sitting on her thyroid. Soon after, a biopsy confirmed it was thyroid cancer. It had already spread to her lymph nodes. Feeling shocked and still in disbelief, Deborah also felt a sense of relief to know that there was a reason behind all of her pain. 'But then it was also the fear of, "am I going to die?",' she said. Ironically, the mystery migraine disappeared just as the cancer was discovered. It had no relation to the cancer, according to her specialists. Deborah had no symptoms of thyroid cancer - no lumps or pain - and her thyroid function tests were completely 'normal' beforehand. Despite a family history of low thyroid function, Deborah's levels had never raised any red flags. Looking back, she believes the crippling headache was triggered by a stressful family situation, but it was the unintentional warning sign that led to the cancer diagnosis. She was booked in for surgery that following January, a wait that took a heavy emotional toll. The wait was excruciating, especially over the Christmas period. In a six-hour operation, surgeons removed Deborah's entire thyroid and 70 per cent of her neck lymph nodes. Many were already cancerous. 'I was in hospital for three days with two tubes coming out of my neck to drain the fluid from the surgery,' she said, 'I came home and needed the tape on for another two weeks. And then there was a lot of forced rest.' Post-surgery, she was left with a 13cm scar running from her ear down her neck. What followed was a mental battle she never anticipated. Deborah was also terrified of what her scar would look like when she took off her bandages. 'At the end of the day, my priority was to get the cancer out. I knew I was going to be left with the scar, and that's just what it is,' she said. But in a silver lining no one saw coming, Deborah's road to recovery inspired a booming business idea. Years earlier, Deborah and her husband had launched their low-tox brand, L'ada Soaps and Scents, after learning soap-making from her mother-in-law. After the surgery, she began experimenting with a scar serum to help her own healing and within weeks, even her doctor was stunned by the results. 'It was just incredible. The way [and] the speed it healed was amazing, because when I took my tape off, my scar was extremely raised,' she said. At her six-week check-up, the surgeon asked what she had been using. He said he'd never seen such fast results. Deborah shared her journey on social media to raise awareness, and followers quickly became obsessed with the fading scar and demanded the product. She hadn't planned to sell it, but the demand spoke for itself. 'My customers started messaging me, saying, "Deb, when is this serum going to be available? I'd like to try it I've got scars too",' she recalled. 'It wasn't until a number of people had come to me that I thought, well, we're in the business of helping people.' Two years on, her scar is barely noticeable, and she now wears it like a badge of honour. Deborah now has the all clear, but it never leaves her mind. 'Any unusual lumps I freak out but I just have to remind myself that I am okay and lymph nodes swell up and go down all the time,' she said. 'I now also have six monthly ultrasounds, and that's more peace of mind than anything.' Thyroid cancer is the seventh most common cancer affecting Aussie women, and the top cancer diagnosed in women aged 20 to 24, according to the Cancer Council. Cases have quadrupled since 1982, and nearly three times more women are diagnosed than men. Despite that, many cases still fly under the radar. The warning signs that people often ignore are subtle symptoms like a persistent cough, voice changes, a lump in the throat, or difficulty sleeping due to neck tightness. With more than one million Aussies living with undiagnosed thyroid disorders, Deborah says a simple ultrasound would pick it up, and a push for answers if something feels off. 'Trust your gut, get a second opinion, [and] find someone that will listen to you and give you the test that you need,' Deborah said.
Sky News
19 hours ago
- Sky News
Chris Hemsworth describes 'gear shift' after learning he's 10 times more likely to get Alzheimer's
Chris Hemsworth has told Sky News that finding out he had a greater chance of developing Alzheimer's disease was a "gear shift" in his life motivations. During a genetic test in season one of Limitless: Live Better Now, the Australian actor discovered that he is, biologically, eight to 10 times more likely than others to have the brain disorder during his lifetime as he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene. He had first taken part in the National Geographic show to be its "guinea pig" and face new experiences that challenge the body and mind. But after having the test, the 41-year-old Thor, Furiosa and Transformers star was faced with an unexpected truth. One in every 50 people inherit two copies of the APOE4 gene and research has found that nearly all double carriers showed key early signs of the disease which causes dementia by the age of 55. Everyone's risk is different, and evidence suggests there are things you can do to reduce your risk whether you're a carrier of the gene or not, including not smoking, reducing alcohol intake, daily exercise, monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure and eating a balanced diet. Speaking of when he found out he was a double carrier, Hemsworth told Sky News: "It was just kind of this point in my life where up until your 40s, you're kind of gathering data and information and it's all reactionary and then you get to a point where you think, oh some of this sort of identity that I've sort of built doesn't hold true anymore. "There's some inner sort of protest or inner voice that has a deeper need to understand and there's deeper questions and what is the purpose and the why behind what I'm doing ... and what am I seeking, what am I contributing, as opposed to just what I am collecting." Reacting on screen, he said it made him shift his focus to living better and increase the chances of him spending as much time as possible with his family and friends. What's changed in the second series? The change in mindset is evident in season two. "This time around, I was very involved in the orchestration and the sort of production and bringing together spaces that I was interested in or there was a deep curiosity or were deeply personal to me. And it was more sort of experiential journalism as opposed to a contestant in a challenging kind of fun, reality show. He adds: "I was much more committed or invested in the experience. "And I was a bit more educated on the topics too. I had to research, I had a deeper point of view, I suppose, personally, but also sort of the education I was given prior and I enjoyed that more, to be honest, I didn't like that I felt very uncomfortable in the first season because I was standing around all these experts and I knew nothing about these topics, yet I was kind of asked to speak on them and so I felt like an imposter the entire time." Limitless: Live Better Now looks at the ways in which you can improve your brain and body's health through endurance challenges and learning a new instrument. Teaming up with Sheeran Hemsworth chose the drums and, taking it to the extreme, was set the task of joining his friend Ed Sheeran on stage to play Thinking Out Loud. "That fear and that anxiety was incredibly overwhelming," Hemsworth says, detailing how he felt "underwater" in the weeks leading up to the event. "It's weird the way intense situations actually cause a hyper focus; it's a survival mechanism of the brain. "Some of the other challenges where if I did the training it was beneficial, but I could kind of muscle my way through it. You can't do that with a musical instrument and then the realisation that the entire band is relying on you to keep time. And then 70,000 people are sitting there going, 'please don't wreck our favourite song'." Reflecting on the moment, he says it's one of the most magical feelings he's ever had. "The joy was unlike anything I've ever experienced. You know, if you could bottle that and have it in a healthy way and not have all the negatives that someone may have for it, it was amazing. It was a true kind of one of my first probably proper out of body experiences, I suppose. "It was like, I kind of remember being in the out, looking down at myself almost, kind of going, wow, I'm kind of floating along with this thing that's so much bigger than me and I'm in true sort of flow state with it."
