4-Year-Old Child Dies After Mother Reportedly Consulted Anti-Vaxxers on Facebook
Written by SOURCE on February 9, 2020
A 4-year-old child in Colorado died after having a flu-related seizure.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed to the local CBS-affiliate earlier this week that 4-year-old, Najee, died from influenza.
“The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment can confirm that a preschool-aged child in southern Colorado has died of flu,” CDPHE wrote in a statement. “The death is the second pediatric flu death in Colorado this season. The department does not have any records that show whether the child was vaccinated against influenza.”
Earlier this month, two of Najee (Junior)’s brothers were diagnosed with the flu. Per the GoFundMe set up by the family, Najee’s mother took her 10-month-old son to the emergency room to be treated for a 104-degree fever. When she got home, she gave the children baths and sent Najee and his 5-year-old brother to their room to put on their pajamas. Minutes later, the 5-year-old told the mother that Junior was asleep. When she went to check on him, she saw him laying on the floor, pale from a flu-related seizure. Najee was transported to a local hospital in Colorado Springs where he was taken off life support on Wednesday.
According to screenshots obtained by the Colorado Times Recorder, Najee’s consulted an anti-vax Facebook group for natural ways to help her children. People in the group advised her not to take Theraflu. Instead, they wanted her to try “taking Vitamin D and C, Elderberry, Zinc, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.” Although she said she would try it, it should be noted that the mother contacted the group after Najee had his seizure and was placed on life support.
“He was my only son that wasn’t sick,” his mother said. “I’m hurting so bad right now and so is his dad and brothers. Our whole family is hurting and it feels like we failed him because we did what we had to do.”
The CDPHE won’t comment on if Najee and/or his two brothers were vaccinated, but it does urge those with “children who are younger than 9 years” to get two doses of the flu vaccine.
