When Ashlee Dahlberg’s 8-year-old son, Liam, came home from school with just a headache, she never imagined it would be the last evening they’d ever share.

By the next morning, Liam was barely responsive. The Indiana family rushed him to the hospital, where doctors made a horrifying discovery: Liam’s brain and spinal cord were covered in invasive bacteria.

He had contracted a rare and aggressive infection known as Haemophilus influenzae — commonly referred to as Hib.

It can cause upper respiratory tract infections, but it can also lead to serious and potentially life-threatening conditions like meningitis and sepsis.

In Liam’s case, the bacteria quickly developed into deadly meningitis.

“At that point in time, that’s when there was nothing they could do,” Ashlee told WHTR. “Anybody that contracts it usually dies within 24 hours.”

Despite Liam being fully vaccinated, doctors believe he may have contracted the infection from an unvaccinated child— something that’s becoming more common as vaccination rates decline across the U.S.

A silent, fast-moving killer

Hib is not the flu, despite its name.

In Liam’s case, it moved rapidly —turning a simple headache into a fatal brain infection overnight.

Doctors performed an MRI and found that the bacteria had already spread too far.

“They discovered the amount of bacteria that was covering his brain and his spinal cord,” Ashlee said. “That’s when there was nothing they could do.”

“I would never wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy ever,” she continued.

“To have sat there and listened to the doctor say, ‘You did everything right, but there was just nothing we could do,’ and then to lay there with him as they took him off life support. And I could feel his little heartbeat just fade away.”

“Feel I have failed my Child”

Ashlee is now channeling her grief into a mission: urging parents to make sure their children are fully vaccinated against Hib and similar illnesses.

“There’s no words that can describe that pain,” she said. “I feel I have failed my child because I could not protect him from everything that would cause harm.”

According to pediatrician Dr. Eric Yancy, Hib was “absolutely devastating” before the vaccine was introduced in 1985.

“If it didn’t kill the children within a very short period of time, it left many of them with significant complications,” he said.

While the Hib vaccine is around 95% effective, it only protects those who receive it — meaning that unvaccinated individuals can still spread the bacteria.

Remembering Liam

A GoFundMe set up by the family describes Liam as a “bright and smart young boy, full of life and potential. His presence brought joy and warmth to everyone he met.”

The fundraiser, which has raised over $54,000 so far, is helping cover the family’s mounting medical expenses in the wake of their unimaginable loss.

Ashlee also shared a heartbreaking video of Liam in the hospital—moaning in pain, his body wracked by the infection that would soon take his life.

“He was kind and sweet,” the family wrote. “He touched the hearts of everyone around him.”

Hib vaccines are significantly more expensive — costing around seven times as much as the combined vaccines for measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

92% vaccinated

The World Health Organization recommends using a pentavalent vaccine, which combines protection against five serious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Hib. Despite this, Hib vaccination rates vary widely across the globe.

By 2023, 92% of people in developed countries were vaccinated against Hib, compared to 94% in Europe, 77% globally, and just 33% in the Western Pacific region. One major barrier is cost — Hib vaccines are about seven times more expensive than the total cost of vaccines for measles, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis combined.

As vaccine hesitancy grows and childhood immunization rates fall, Liam’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of what’s at stake.