Child’s sudden death highlights danger of rare but deadly bacterial infection

An 8-year-old Indiana boy died within a day of first reporting mild symptoms — a tragedy now linked to a rare bacterial infection that spread rapidly to his brain and spine. The boy’s mother, Ashlee Dahlberg, is sharing her family’s heartbreaking story in hopes of raising awareness about the disease and the importance of vaccination.

Liam Dahlberg came home from school one afternoon in April complaining of a headache — a seemingly minor symptom. But by the next morning, his condition had worsened significantly.

“I knew something was really wrong,” Ashlee Dahlberg told 13WMAZ.

She rushed her son to the hospital, where doctors quickly diagnosed him with Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib — a rare but extremely dangerous bacterial infection that can become fatal in a matter of hours.

A rare infection with devastating speed

“Anybody that contracts it usually dies within 24 hours,” Dahlberg said.

Liam’s MRI revealed the full extent of the damage: the infection had spread across his brain and spinal cord. Within hours, doctors told the family that there was nothing more they could do.

“Basically, at that point in time, there was nothing they could do,” Dahlberg recounted.

Liam died less than 24 hours after he first complained of a headache.

Mother recounts heartbreaking final moments

“I would never wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy ever. It’s hard,” Dahlberg said, holding back tears.

“To have sat there and listened to the doctors say, ‘You did everything right, there’s just nothing we could do,’ to lay there with him as they took him off life support, I can feel his little heartbeat fade away — there’s no words that can describe that pain.”

The case has devastated the local community and brought renewed attention to Hib — a disease that, while rare today, was once a common and often fatal threat to young children.

What is Hib and how does it spread?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Hib is a bacterial infection that can become “invasive,” meaning it spreads into parts of the body normally free of bacteria, such as the blood, brain, or spinal cord. It is typically transmitted via respiratory droplets and can remain dormant in the noses and throats of healthy carriers.

Children with weakened immune systems or those suffering from another illness are more vulnerable to the bacteria invading their bloodstream.

While most children in the U.S. are vaccinated against Hib in infancy, the infection can still occur, particularly when exposed to unvaccinated individuals.

A once-devastating illness largely eliminated by vaccines

Dr. Eric Yancy, a pediatrician in Indianapolis familiar with Hib, told 13WMAZ that the disease was “absolutely devastating” before vaccines became available.

“If it didn’t kill the children within a very short period of time, it left many of them with significant complications,” he explained.

The first Hib vaccine was introduced in 1985, and routine vaccination for infants began in 1990. Prior to that, the U.S. saw around 20,000 serious Hib infections and about 1,000 related deaths each year among children under 5, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Since then, vaccination efforts have reduced U.S. Hib cases by more than 99%. As of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported fewer than 50 cases nationwide.

Grieving mother urges parents to vaccinate

Dahlberg said her son had received the Hib vaccine, but doctors believe he may have contracted the infection from an unvaccinated child — underscoring the broader community risks tied to declining immunization rates.

“I feel like I have failed my child because I could not protect him from everything that would cause harm,” she said.

Now, she’s urging other parents to check their children’s vaccine status and be vigilant about rare but potentially fatal infections like Hib.

Her plea is simple: “Don’t wait. Make sure your kids are protected.”

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