An 8-year-old boy from Indiana tragically lost his life to a rare and deadly bacterial infection, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), mere hours after complaining of mild symptoms, according to his mother. Liam Dahlberg returned home from school in April with a headache, but it wasn’t until the following day that his mother, Ashlee Dahlberg, noticed a significant change in her usually energetic son.
Upon rushing Liam to the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with Hib, a bacterial infection that is typically vaccinated against in infancy. Despite this, it remains possible for individuals, particularly the very young and elderly, to contract the disease. Ashlee Dahlberg shared the devastating reality that most who contract Hib succumb to the infection within 24 hours.
An MRI revealed that the infection had rapidly spread, covering Liam’s brain and spinal cord. Despite the medical team’s best efforts, there was nothing more they could do. Liam passed away less than a day after his initial complaint of a headache.
Ashlee Dahlberg expressed her profound grief, stating that she wouldn’t wish such pain on her worst enemy. She recounted the heart-wrenching experience of hearing doctors tell her that despite doing everything right, there was nothing more they could have done to save her son.
Hib infections can be invasive, spreading to parts of the body typically free from germs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The bacteria can remain dormant in the noses and throats of healthy individuals, but a weakened immune system or concurrent viral infections can allow Hib to enter the bloodstream and spread to the host’s organs.
Dr. Eric Yancy, an Indianapolis pediatrician familiar with Hib, explained that before vaccines were introduced in 1985, the disease was “absolutely devastating,” often resulting in death or significant complications. Liam had been vaccinated against Hib, but Yancy suggested that he may have contracted the infection from an unvaccinated child, raising concerns about potential exposure risks for other children.
Before the Hib vaccine was introduced for children and infants in 1990, approximately 20,000 children under the age of 5 contracted severe Hib disease each year, with about 1,000 fatalities. Since then, Hib infection rates have dropped by more than 99% in the US since 1991. In 2019, only 0.15 out of every 100,000 children under 5 years old contracted Hib. In 2024, fewer than 50 cases were reported in the US, according to the CDC.
Despite these statistics, Ashlee Dahlberg is urging parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against Hib to prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss. She expressed her feelings of failure for not being able to protect her son from all harm.