Overview
- Aabi, a two-year-old Perth toddler, died in early May from acute necrotising encephalitis after her flu symptoms escalated from mild fever and headache to total brain death in just two days.
- Her family’s open letter to the Immunisation Foundation of Australia detailed the virus’s rapid progression and underlined that she was unvaccinated.
- Western Australia has logged six flu-related deaths this year alongside 14,921 confirmed cases and 2,325 hospital admissions, levels not seen in over a decade.
- Flu vaccination uptake in the state sits at about 59 percent, falling short of targets for protecting young children and other vulnerable groups.
- Medical experts and immunisation advocates are intensifying outreach to counter misinformation and raise vaccine coverage before the season worsens.