- Devastated parents call on Government to offer flu vaccine to all children
Her parents thought Lana Ameen simply had a cold.
But her doctor father and mother took her to the GP anyway on Christmas Eve – and then to hospital as her condition worsened.
Just two days later she died of swine flu. She was three years old.
Lana, three, in intensive care on Boxing Day, just hours before she died. Her mother, a nurse, is now calling for all children to be vaccinated against the virus
Yesterday the couple released a photograph of the child on life support hours from death. She had not been eligible for the swine flu vaccine – and they hope this harrowing picture will shame ministers into offering the jab to children.
Currently it is only available to ‘at risk’ groups such as asthma sufferers and pregnant women.
WHO CAN HAVE THE FLU JAB?
The government offers free flu jabs to people in 'at risk groups'. These are:
- People with chronic heart, lung and other disorders
- Pregnant women
- People aged 65 or over
- People in long stay residential accommodation
It is possible for healthy people to have the vaccine administered privately by pharmacists for between £7 and £12.99.
However, Dr Clare Gerada, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said the Government should think about banning this practice as it has contributed to vaccine shortages.
And although healthy under-fives were offered the vaccine last winter, Government doctors have advised against offering the jab during the latest outbreak as it is not classed as a pandemic.
But Lana’s mother Gemma told how she believes it is vital that children are vaccinated.
The former healthcare assistant said that their daughter deteriorated so quickly that even with their medical knowledge, they were taken unawares. Other families would have no chance unless their children had been vaccinated, she warned.
‘We had never thought about swine flu, never worried about it – then in less than 24 hours our baby was practically dead.
‘It was terrifying, it all happened so quickly. I want to say to people, to parents, if you can get the vaccine, don’t hesitate. The risk of not having it and the price you might pay is just too high.
‘We have been so shocked by what has happened and we feel very strongly that everyone, particularly children, should have the vaccine. Even financially, surely it makes sense. The swine flu vaccine is inexpensive and has already been bought.’
In contrast, she added: ‘It cost £1,700 just to care for Lana in intensive care for one day.’
Mr and Mrs Ameen with their daughter Lana. The couple lost their beloved three-year-old to the H1N1 virus over Christmas
Happy and healthy: Lana loved to sing and dance
Mrs Ameen, who is 12 weeks pregnant with their second child, says she was refused the flu jab until after Lana’s death.
Her Kurdish-born husband Zana, 34, is a registrar at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham, but the couple, who live in Quinton, were spending Christmas with her family in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
They took Lana to a local GP on Christmas Eve fearing she was coming down with a cold, and were given cough medicine. But that night her temperature soared to almost 104f (40c) so they took her to A&E at Stepping Hill Hospital at 2am.
‘We did think it could be swine flu with a temperature that high and wanted them to check with a swab, but they said they don’t do that any more,’ said Mrs Ameen, who, along with her husband, used to work at that hospital.
Blaming an infection, doctors discharged Lana, and she was well enough to open her presents and eat some Christmas dinner before falling asleep.
But when her parents tried to wake her to give her some Calpol she had a fit, and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
No consultant was initially available to see them, the Ameens say. Lana had three more fits in hospital before being transferred to a special care unit at Alder Hey Hospital, in Liverpool, as there was no place available in Manchester.
But her parents were soon told she was brain-dead. Lana died on Boxing Day.
The bilingual youngster, who loved singing, painting and dancing, was buried with a pink lollipop at her side. ‘Losing Lana is just awful,’ said Mrs Ameen, a full-time mother who is training as a counsellor.
Lana was first treated at Stepping Hill hospital. Her parents, who both used to work there, have complained about her treatment
‘We just look at different things in the house and see her clothes and toys, the programmes we used to watch, everything reminds me of her. It’s like you can still see her there, it’s like we’re waiting for her to come in.’
Mrs Ameen had requested a flu jab before Christmas but was told she had to wait until she was three months’ pregnant. Her GP only relented after being told of Lana’s death.
DOUBLE DELIGHT AS MOTHER AND SON RECOVER AFTER FLU
A mother suffering from swine flu and her premature baby have both made miraculous recoveries.
Doctors were forced to perform an emergency caesarean on Leonnie Meyers, 24, to save baby Jacob two months before her due date, after she began to struggling to breathe.
Her partner David, 29, could only watch as his girlfriend fought for her life on a ventilator, and their baby boy was whisked away to an incubator.
But both mother and baby have now made a full recovery since the birth on Christmas Day.
Medics are hopeful that the couple will be able to take their new baby back to their home in Derby, within the next few days.
Health experts say expectant mothers are at greater risk from swine flu because their immune system is suppressed and they are more likely to catch it.
The couple, who have started a campaign on Facebook to have vaccination for children resumed, have lodged a complaint about the failure of Stepping Hill to realise how ill Lana was initially.
Last month the hospital was criticised by the parents of a baby who fell critically ill with swine flu, whom staff had initially sent home with medication for indigestion.
Eight-week-old Harvey Flanagan was placed in intensive care but recovered. He is now back home with his parents.
Chief executive Dr Chris Burke said a ‘preliminary review’ had concluded that ‘Lana received appropriate treatment and care in a timely fashion’.
Since the start of this swine flu outbreak, 13 deaths have been reported in under-14s, but the Department for Health said medical advice was that only children with certain underlying conditions need the vaccine.
Five under-fives have died since the start of the outbreak – one in ten of the total figure of 50 deaths.
Professor Andrew Hall, chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said: ‘All children under five were routinely vaccinated during the pandemic flu vaccination programme, but in line with previous years and the current evidence, we did not recommend healthy children under five were vaccinated against flu during the current season.’
Mrs Ameen added: ‘I don’t know how they can say my child wasn’t worth having a few pounds-worth of vaccine that could have ultimately saved her life.’