Ashlee Dahlberg never thought that the last evening she would ever spend with her 8-year-old son, Liam, would be the day he came home after school with only a headache.
The following morning, Liam was hardly conscious. The Indiana family took him to the hospital, and doctors made a gruesome discovery: Liam had invasive bacteria on his brain and spinal cord.
He had developed a rare and virulent infection called Haemophilus influenzae, or Hib as it is commonly called.
It may result in upper respiratory tract infections, and it may also result in severe and even life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and sepsis.
The bacteria in the case of Liam rapidly progressed to fatal meningitis.
That is when there was nothing they could do at that point in time, Ashlee told WHTR. Anyone who catches it normally dies within 24 hours.
Although Liam is fully vaccinated, doctors suspect that he might have been infected by an unvaccinated child- a trend that is increasingly becoming prevalent as the vaccination rates continue to drop in the U.S.
A silent, rapid-moving murderer
Hib is not flu, although it is named so.
In Liam it was fast-acting- transforming a mere headache into a deadly brain infection overnight.
Doctors conducted an MRI and discovered that the bacteria had spread too far.
They found out how many bacteria were covering his brain and his spinal cord, Ashlee said. That is when they could do nothing.
She went on, saying, I would not wish this sort of pain on my worst enemy in the world.
To have sat there and heard the doctor say, You did everything right, but there was just nothing we could do, and then to lie there with him as they took him off life support. And I could feel his little heart just go out.”
I feel I have failed my Child
Ashlee is now turning her sorrow into a cause: she is encouraging parents to ensure that their children are completely immunized against Hib and other diseases.
She said, there are no words that can describe that pain. I believe I have failed my child as I was not able to protect him against all the things that would harm him.
Pediatrician Dr. Eric Yancy says Hib was devastating, and that it was absolutely devastating before the vaccine was introduced in 1985
He said, it did not kill the children in a very short time, but left many of them with serious complications.
Although the Hib vaccine is approximately 95 percent effective, it only prevents the disease in the vaccinated person, so unvaccinated people can continue to transmit the bacteria.
Remembering Liam
The family has created a GoFundMe that states that Liam was a bright and smart young boy, full of life and potential. He was a joyful and warm person to all he encountered.”
The GoFundMe, which has already raised more than 54,000 dollars, is assisting the family with the growing medical bills after their unimaginable loss.
Ashlee even posted a tear-jerking video of Liam in the hospital- moaning in pain, his body convulsing with the infection that would soon kill him.
The family wrote, he was kind and sweet. He reached the hearts of all those around him.
Hib vaccines are much more costly – approximately seven times the cost of the combined measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines.
92% vaccinated
The World Health Organization suggests a pentavalent vaccine, a combination of protection against five severe diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Hib. Nevertheless, the rates of Hib vaccination are unevenly distributed in the world.
In developed countries, 92 percent of the population was vaccinated against Hib by 2023, compared to 94 percent in Europe, 77 percent worldwide, and only 33 percent in the Western Pacific region. Cost is one of the biggest obstacles, with Hib vaccines costing approximately seven times the cost of all the vaccines against measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis combined.
With vaccine hesitancy on the rise and childhood immunization rates declining, Liam is a tragic reminder of what we stand to lose.
The message is straightforward, but urgent, as Dahlberg says: Please, vaccinate your children. I do not want any other parent to experience this pain.”
