Boy, 8, complains of headache at school then events turn tragic in hours

ASHLEE DAHLBERG, FROM INDIANA, US, SAYS SHE FELT HER SON LIAM'S 'HEART FADE AWAY' AFTER HE SUDDENLY CONTRACTED A BACTERIAL INFECTION. SHE SHARED THE WARNING SIGNS OF THE

DEADLY ILLNESS 15:07, 30 May 2025 A young boy who suffered a headache at school tragically died of a horror infection just hours after complaining about the symptom. Liam Dahlberg, 8, from

Indiana, US, came home from class in April and felt unwell. But it wasn't until the following morning that his mum became concerned. His mother, Ashlee Dahlberg, raced him to hospital

where she was told that "there’s just nothing we could do", after delivering her a devastating diagnosis. Liam had picked up a bacterial infection called Haemophilus influenzae

type b, also known as “H. flu” or “Hib.” Most children are vaccinated against the deadly illness as a baby, but it is still possible to become infected by it, warned doctors. His mother

spoke to local media and said: “Anybody that contracts it usually dies within 24 hours." READ MORE: Nintendo Switch OLED models plummet in price as Switch 2 launch looms Article

continues below Shocking test results from an MRI revealed that the infection had worsened, spreading to his brain and spinal cord. "Basically, at that point in time, there was nothing

they could do,” his mum said. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the infection can travel through respiratory droplets and can stay dormant in healthy people, reports New York Post. However,

anyone who experiences a low immune system, could see the infection enter the bloodstream - which later can spread to vital organs. Dr. Eric Yancy, a paediatrician in Indianapolis, stressed

how quickly Hib can harm patients. “If it didn’t kill the children within a very short period of time, it left many of them with significant complications,” he told 13WMAZ. Despite Liam

being vaccinated against the infection, he could have contracted it from someone who wasn't protected. The poor eight-year-old died less than 24 hours after enduring a headache. His

mother revealed how she felt his "little heartbeat fade away" before his death. She added: "I would never wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy ever. It’s hard. Article

continues below “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.”