Ashlee Dahlberg never thought that the last evening she would spend with her 8-year-old son, Liam, would come when 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 shocking revelation: Liam had invasive bacteria on his brain and spinal cord.
He had been infected with a rare and virulent infection called Haemophilus influenzae, or Hib as it is commonly called.
It may result in upper respiratory tract infections, however, it may also result in severe and even life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and sepsis.
In the case of Liam, the bacteria rapidly turned into fatal meningitis.
That is when there was nothing they could do, Ashlee told WHTR at that point in time. Anyone who catches it tends to die within 24 hours.
Although Liam is fully vaccinated, doctors suspect that he might have been infected by an unvaccinated child, which is increasingly becoming the case as the vaccination rates drop in the U.S.
A silent, rapid-moving murderer
Hib is not flu, although it is named so.
In the case of Liam, it happened very fast- a mere headache turned into a deadly brain infection overnight.
Doctors conducted an MRI and discovered that the bacteria had spread too far.
Ashlee said, they found out how many bacteria were covering his brain and his spinal cord. That is when they could do nothing.
I would never want my worst enemy to go through this type of pain, she added.
To have sat there and heard the doctor say, You did everything right, but there was just nothing we could do, and then to lay there with him as they took him off life support. And I could feel his little heart just go away.”
Feel I have failed my Child
Ashlee is now turning her sorrow into a cause: to encourage parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against Hib and other such diseases.
I can not describe that pain, she said. I believe that I have failed my child since I was unable to shield him against all the things that would hurt him.
Pediatrician Dr. Eric Yancy said Hib was devastating before the vaccine came out 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 works on the people who have received it, which means that unvaccinated people can still 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 collected more than 54,000 dollars, is assisting the family with the growing medical bills following 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, about 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 that is a combination of protection against five severe diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Hib. Nevertheless, the rate of Hib vaccination is very different all over the world.
In 2023, 92 percent of individuals in developed nations had been vaccinated against Hib, 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 agony.