Every year, dozens of kids die from the flu, and most of them had not received a flu shot, in keeping with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thousands more children are hospitalized. Many of those who becomes critically ailing or died had been perfectly healthy earlier than they contracted the flu. Jade is certainly one of them. Jade DeLucia before she contracted the flu. On December 19, Phillips seen that Jade wasn't quite her often bubbly self. Medicine introduced it down simply, and she went again to playing together with her older sister, Catalina. A few instances over the next several days, Jade spiked a low-grade fever. Phillips thinks again to those four days, December 19 by way of December 23, and wracks her brain for one thing that may need advised her what was about to occur. The night time of December 23, while Phillips was working her shift as an assistant manager at a Dollar General store, Jade's father, Stephen DeLucia, tucked Jade into bed. But Jade hadn't but woken up. The following morning, the family was prepared to go away the home to spend Christmas Eve with Phillips' parents. And her body was burning hot. Once they arrived at Covenant Medical Center, Jade's body began shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes rolled to the again of her head. When her father went to check on her, Jade was lying in mattress, unresponsive. Doctors filled the room. She was having a seizure. There was no time for an ambulance. They stated Jade needed to be transferred to the youngsters's hospital at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, about 80 miles away. Her mother and father watched the big fluffy unicorn stuffed animal helicopter take off. She must be flown. Amanda Phillips and Stephen DeLucia with their daughter, Jade DeLucia, at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Called encephalopathy, it is a known complication of the flu, in response to the CDC. On Christmas Day, Phillips and DeLucia discovered flu had affected her mind. Doctors showed Jade's dad and mom the MRI outcomes. Over the following few days, Jade remained virtually fully unresponsive. Czech, a pediatric neurologist, was introduced in to consult on Jade's case. Her mind was "lit up like a Christmas tree," her mom remembers. On December 31, she told Jade's dad and mom her specific analysis: acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or ANE, a type of encephalopathy usually brought on by a viral infection. Czech found one study that looked at 4 children with ANE. ANE is so rare there are few studies on how children fare. Three of them died. And at last, Jade's mother and father received some excellent news. Czech prescribed steroids to calm the swelling in her brain. Jade DeLucia, with her mother Amanda Phillips, after regaining consciousness. CNN visited Jade's household on January 1. Her family began the brand new 12 months with a prayer. Then, they visited Jade at the hospital -- and her mother came out beaming. Over the subsequent few days, Jade stored getting better and better. What had appeared so unlikely had occurred: Jade woke up. She may sit up. She could eat -- and particularly requested chocolate pudding. Her breathing tube got here out. Phillips wrote on Facebook on January 5. But then Jade's mother and father. When her mom put Jade's favourite stuffed animal -- a white unicorn -- in front of her face, she did not have a look at it. An ophthalmologist came in. When she threw a bit ball, she didn't watch it because it went up within the air. The issue wasn't along with her eyes. It was along with her mind, which had suffered due to the flu. Examined Jade's eyes. Everything seemed fine. She mentioned that can be decided in the months and years to return. Jade may even have cognitive or developmental problems, resembling learning disabilities, Czech added. But contemplating that Jade arrived at the hospital unresponsive on Christmas Eve, Czech is amazed at her progress. Considered one of the first issues she did was touch her sister's face and then pulled her shut and cried. Relieved to have her daughter back home, Phillips desires to get a message to other families about the flu shot. Last March, when Jade's sister had her annual properly visit on the pediatrician, each ladies obtained a flu shot. Phillips says she thought that shot was good for an entire yr. She did not realize she needed to get the ladies vaccinated again for the brand new 2019-2020 flu season. Flu vaccines turn into available at the end of the summer time, and the CDC recommends getting one by the tip of October to protect towards flu in the upcoming winter. Because the flu virus adjustments 12 months to year, the vaccine also modifications. This yr, the flu has been notably powerful on children. To date, 32 kids in the United States have died from flu this season, 21 from the influenza B strain of the virus. That's as a result of the predominant virus has been influenza B, which impacts youngsters greater than adults. Sign up right here to get The results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health crew. It's true that the flu vaccine is only about 40-60% effective at stopping the flu, based on the CDC. But that is not the purpose, says Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious illness specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York City. What mother and father need to know is that a vaccine could be very efficient at stopping kids from changing into so sick from flu that there are life-threatening complications, like Jade did. A 2014 examine confirmed that flu vaccine reduced a kid's threat of being admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit by 74%. A 2017 research showed the vaccine additionally significantly diminished a child's danger of dying from the flu, according to the CDC.
