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Unprotected People Reports: Influenza |
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The Story of Amanda Kanowitz |
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| Click here for a fully-formatted PDF version
of this report |
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| The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) publishes Unprotected People Reports
about people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases. This
is the 98th in our series. |
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| Families Fighting Flu (FFF) was established in the memory of the children who
die each year from the complications of influenza. FFF member families have
experienced first-hand the severity of influenza in a child, with many of the
members having suffered the devastating loss of an infant, child, or teen. The
mission of the non-profit organization, which is made up of families and
healthcare professionals, is to reduce pediatric deaths due to influenza by
raising awareness about the importance of annual influenza vaccination for
children. The following report is reprinted courtesy of Families Fighting Flu. |
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On the morning of Saturday, February 28, 2004, 4½-year-old Amanda Kanowitz
developed a cough and a mild fever. She stayed home and spent the day playing
her favorite games with her family. The next morning, she began vomiting, but
appeared to have nothing more than a typical virus.
By Sunday evening, Amanda appeared weak and her lips started to look gray.
Amanda's mother called the family doctor, who told her that she had received
over 60 calls that weekend about the same virus, and that Amanda would be okay
as long as she stayed hydrated. The doctor recommended that Amanda only drink
several sips of water at a time, and that her parents should make sure she
continued to urinate.
At 3:30 a.m., Amanda woke her parents because she was concerned that she had
drank an entire cup of water, instead of just taking sips. She then told them
she had a stomachache and urinated in the bathroom.
Just four hours later, at 7:30 a.m., Amanda's parents found her lifeless in her
bed.
To honor Amanda's memory, the Kanowitz family has established the Amanda
Kanowitz Foundation, which is focusing on research to identify which other
children should be considered high-risk for such sudden, extreme reactions to
the flu and other infectious diseases.
For more information, please visit www.amandakfoundation.org and www.familiesfightingflu.org
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| 4/10/09 • REPORT #98 |
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| Disclaimer: The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) publishes
Unprotected People Reports for the purpose of making them available
for our readers' review. We have not verified the content of this
report. |
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