Latest news with #ImmunisationFoundation
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Family's plea after 2yo girl's tragic death
A Perth family has issued an emotional plea after their two-year-old daughter died from the flu. In a letter shared by the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, the heartbroken family described how the health of their two-year-old daughter, Aabi, rapidly deteriorated from the virus. Only a few months away from turning three, Aabi and her family had returned to their home in Perth on April 30 after spending a month abroad in India visiting relatives. Aabi's parents said she was 'reluctant' to return to daycare, but was sent back the next day. It was only a few days later that Aabi vomited after eating her regular banana and milk. 'I initially thought it was due to her energetic play with her sister,' her mother wrote. 'As I cleaned her, I noticed she felt lukewarm.' The two-year-old complained of a headache, with her mother giving her a dose of paracetamol syrup and a 'gentle forehead massage' that seemed to help. While Aabi's mood seemed to improve, her fever - and the niggling headache - returned a short time later. '(On) Sunday, May 4th, she woke as usual - enjoying two biscuits with my tea, her milk, and then a banana,' her mother wrote. 'She was playing, singing, and seemed well. 'Relieved, I started my regular Sunday household tasks while the girls entertained themselves.' However by about 11am that morning, Aabi's temperature was rising again and her headache had returned. 'I sat beside her, waiting for the fever to drop, but it kept climbing,' her mother wrote. Aabi's fever kept climbing to 40.6C and she was rushed to hospital, where her dehydration made it difficult for doctors to figure out the problem. 'It felt like she deteriorated significantly and too quickly,' her mother said. Aabi had a 'gentle seizure' while in hospital and was later diagnosed with influenza. 'The decision was made to perform a CT scan and then transfer her to the ICU, as she was highly febrile and partially unconscious,' the letter read. However, the little girl's health had deteriorated too quickly for the CT scan to be effective and she instead required an MRI scan. Aabi's mum said it was then she believed they had lost their little girl, saying her pupils were non-responsive and 'she was beyond anyone's help'. In the span of a few days, Aabi had gone from being a 'healthy, happy, active, and fun-loving child' to lying unconscious in the hospital bed. The MRI scan confirmed the worst. 'The MRI confirmed total brain death due to acute necrotising encephalitis, a devastating complication of the influenza infection,' her mother wrote. 'The virus's rapid progression with such minimal initial symptoms – just a normal fever and headache, which so many children her age experience regularly – gave us no indication of the extreme seriousness of the situation.' Aabi's mother said doctors suspect her daughter's immune system reacted 'much more aggressively than usual', which led to 'acute inflammation and severe damage to her brain'. 'We lost our beautiful Aabi at the hands of what seemed like a 'mere virus',' she said. 'Aabi will forever be two years and nine months old,' her mother wrote, describing her daughter as the 'radiant joy of our lives and the very heart of our home'. Flu spike 'really concerning' Immunisation Foundation of Australia founder Catherine Hughes said Aabi's story was a reminder of the tragic impact influenza can have, and highlights just how vulnerable young children are to infectious diseases. She said an ongoing spread of misinformation was leading to shockingly low rates of flu vaccination, something she described as a 'serious public health concern'. According to figures from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCRIS), more than 230,000 lab-confirmed flu cases have been reported in the country as of late July. Less than a quarter of those cases are children under the age of five. Ms Hughes said the numbers were 'really concerning'. 'Many of us might mistakenly think of the flu as 'just a bad cold', especially after a mild case,' she told NewsWire. 'However, influenza can be extremely severe, leading to serious complications, hospitalisation, and death, even for healthy children and adults.' This could be reduced with higher vaccination rates, she said. 'We urge families to prioritise vaccination as a proactive step to protect their children, prevent the wider spread of the virus, and ultimately, help protect all Australians,' she told NewsWire. Monash University Epidemiological Modelling Unit for the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine associate professor James Trauer reiterated it was important for Australians to get vaccinated against the flu. He told NewsWire the flu vaccine presented 'little chemicals to the immune system' that are in both the vaccine and flu virus, meaning the body is exposed to the chemicals without the body having to be exposed to the flu virus itself. 'So you develop antibodies … once you've got those antibodies, you have a more effective, more rapid response to the vaccine,' he said. He said children under five and the population over 65 were the biggest priority for flu vaccinations, though the general public - particularly those with young children - should also get the jab. 'The flu transmits a lot within family units,' he said. '(The) flu causes a major epidemic every winter, and people do die of it every year, and so it's important for us to do everything that we can (to prevent it).' While there are 'some other treatments' to prevent the virus, he said 'vaccination is really the best … preventive and effective intervention' that can 'really help us to reduce the flu each winter'.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘A mere virus': Perth family's heartbreaking plea after losing daughter, 2, to the flu
A Perth family has issued an emotional plea after their two-year-old daughter died from the flu. In a letter shared by the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, the heartbroken family described how the health of their two-year-old daughter, Aabi, rapidly deteriorated from the virus. Only a few months away from turning three, Aabi and her family had returned to their home in Perth on April 30 after spending a month abroad in India visiting relatives. Aabi's parents said she was 'reluctant' to return to daycare, but was sent back the next day. It was only a few days later that Aabi vomited after eating her regular banana and milk. 'I initially thought it was due to her energetic play with her sister,' her mother wrote. 'As I cleaned her, I noticed she felt lukewarm.' The two-year-old complained of a headache, with her mother giving her a dose of paracetamol syrup and a 'gentle forehead massage' that seemed to help. While Aabi's mood seemed to improve, her fever - and the niggling headache - returned a short time later. '(On) Sunday, May 4th, she woke as usual - enjoying two biscuits with my tea, her milk, and then a banana,' her mother wrote. 'She was playing, singing, and seemed well. 'Relieved, I started my regular Sunday household tasks while the girls entertained themselves.' However by about 11am that morning, Aabi's temperature was rising again and her headache had returned. 'I sat beside her, waiting for the fever to drop, but it kept climbing,' her mother wrote. Aabi's fever kept climbing to 40.6C and she was rushed to hospital, where her dehydration made it difficult for doctors to figure out the problem. 'It felt like she deteriorated significantly and too quickly,' her mother said. Aabi had a 'gentle seizure' while in hospital and was later diagnosed with influenza. 'The decision was made to perform a CT scan and then transfer her to the ICU, as she was highly febrile and partially unconscious,' the letter read. However, the little girl's health had deteriorated too quickly for the CT scan to be effective and she instead required an MRI scan. Aabi's mum said it was then she believed they had lost their little girl, saying her pupils were non-responsive and 'she was beyond anyone's help'. In the span of a few days, Aabi had gone from being a 'healthy, happy, active, and fun-loving child' to lying unconscious in the hospital bed. The MRI scan confirmed the worst. 'The MRI confirmed total brain death due to acute necrotising encephalitis, a devastating complication of the influenza infection,' her mother wrote. 'The virus's rapid progression with such minimal initial symptoms – just a normal fever and headache, which so many children her age experience regularly – gave us no indication of the extreme seriousness of the situation.' Aabi's mother said doctors suspect her daughter's immune system reacted 'much more aggressively than usual', which led to 'acute inflammation and severe damage to her brain'. 'We lost our beautiful Aabi at the hands of what seemed like a 'mere virus',' she said. 'Aabi will forever be two years and nine months old,' her mother wrote, describing her daughter as the 'radiant joy of our lives and the very heart of our home'. Flu spike 'really concerning' Immunisation Foundation of Australia founder Catherine Hughes said Aabi's story was a reminder of the tragic impact influenza can have, and highlights just how vulnerable young children are to infectious diseases. She said an ongoing spread of misinformation was leading to shockingly low rates of flu vaccination, something she described as a 'serious public health concern'. According to figures from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCRIS), more than 230,000 lab-confirmed flu cases have been reported in the country as of late July. Less than a quarter of those cases are children under the age of five. Ms Hughes said the numbers were 'really concerning'. 'Many of us might mistakenly think of the flu as 'just a bad cold', especially after a mild case,' she told NewsWire. 'However, influenza can be extremely severe, leading to serious complications, hospitalisation, and death, even for healthy children and adults.' This could be reduced with higher vaccination rates, she said. 'We urge families to prioritise vaccination as a proactive step to protect their children, prevent the wider spread of the virus, and ultimately, help protect all Australians,' she told NewsWire. Monash University Epidemiological Modelling Unit for the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine associate professor James Trauer reiterated it was important for Australians to get vaccinated against the flu. He told NewsWire the flu vaccine presented 'little chemicals to the immune system' that are in both the vaccine and flu virus, meaning the body is exposed to the chemicals without the body having to be exposed to the flu virus itself. 'So you develop antibodies … once you've got those antibodies, you have a more effective, more rapid response to the vaccine,' he said. He said children under five and the population over 65 were the biggest priority for flu vaccinations, though the general public - particularly those with young children - should also get the jab. 'The flu transmits a lot within family units,' he said. '(The) flu causes a major epidemic every winter, and people do die of it every year, and so it's important for us to do everything that we can (to prevent it).' While there are 'some other treatments' to prevent the virus, he said 'vaccination is really the best … preventive and effective intervention' that can 'really help us to reduce the flu each winter'.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Doctors urge caution as Perth family shares heartbreak of losing little girl to influenza
Medical experts have issued a call for people to get vaccinated against the flu, after the death of a two-year-old Perth girl in May marked the first time a toddler had succumbed to the virus in WA this winter. 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.
