When Ashlee Dahlberg’s 8-year-old son, Liam, came home from school with just a headache, she never imagined it would be the last evening they’d ever share.
By the next morning, Liam was barely responsive. The Indiana family rushed him to the hospital, where doctors made a horrifying discovery: Liam’s brain and spinal cord were covered in invasive bacteria.
He had contracted a rare and aggressive infection known as Haemophilus influenzae — commonly referred to as Hib.
It can cause upper respiratory tract infections, but it can also lead to serious and potentially life-threatening conditions like meningitis and sepsis.
In Liam’s case, the bacteria quickly developed into deadly meningitis.
“At that point in time, that’s when there was nothing they could do,” Ashlee told WHTR. “Anybody that contracts it usually dies within 24 hours.”
Despite Liam being fully vaccinated, doctors believe he may have contracted the infection from an unvaccinated child— something that’s becoming more common as vaccination rates decline across the U.S.
A silent, fast-moving killer
Hib is not the flu, despite its name.
