A Texas family is mourning after an otherwise healthy 4-year-old died of the flu and pneumonia days after first showing symptoms.
Ashtani Grinage the first child flu-related death of the season in Dallas County, according to media outlets.
The girl began showing cold-like symptoms Jan. 27, said Martell Grinage, Ashanti’s father. When Ashanti’s symptoms worsened and her fever rose to 103 degrees, her parents took her to an emergency room.
Tests determined the girl had flu type A. She hadn’t been vaccinated.
Hospital staff sent Ashanti home once her fever subsided and recommended over-the-counter medications to keep her fever down, Martell Grinage told KDFW-TV. On Wednesday, the girl didn't have fever, but had other mild symptoms.
By Thursday, Ashanti had become extremely lethargic. Her mother took her back to a hospital.
“She wasn’t even running fever at this time, we just knew she was very sluggish and she wasn’t eating,” Martell Grinich said.
Doctors found that Ashanti had developed pneumonia in her lungs. She died at the hospital.
"I'm mad at myself. I'm mad at everyone. I'm mad at the hospital. I'm mad at God. I can't lie to you," Martell Grinage told local media.
A Go Fund Me has been set up for the Grinage family.
Dr. Christopher Perkins of the Dallas County Health and Human Services is urging those who haven't done so to get the flu vaccine, KTVT-TV reported.
“We cannot predict the intensity, severity or duration of the flu season from year to year,” Perkins said. “The best way to protect yourself and others is to get your seasonal flu shot.”
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