Mother almost died from flu, urges vaccination
Friday November 25th, 2011
A woman who almost died from flu last winter is urging people to get vaccinated against the illness.
Louise
Lyle, from Southam, Warwick, England, spent five weeks in intensive care
after falling ill in December last year.
She was ventilated on a life support machine, fed by tubes and put on dialysis after her kidneys failed at Warwick Hospital.
Early in the new year, the 39-year-old was transferred to University Hospital in Coventry for specialist care after fears there was damage to her heart. She was finally allowed to go home in February 2011.
Now, the mother of two daughters, who has been left with restricted lung function, is urging people to have the flu jab, even if they are not considered to be high risk.
It is not known which strain of flu infected her or if it was the swine flu virus. Mrs Lyle was totally healthy before falling ill without any of the risk factors that would make her a target for vaccination.
“As an otherwise fit and healthy young person, I hadn’t had a flu jab. It was not something that I thought applied to me,” she admitted.
“This year I made sure that my family and I have all been vaccinated against seasonal flu. I really would urge anyone who is offered the vaccination by their GP to accept it and those who aren’t in an at-risk group to get their vaccination from a pharmacist.
“Last year, it was young and middle-aged people like me who were most seriously affected by flu and like I did, they probably think they won’t be affected.”
Thanking the staff at Warwick Hospital and University Hospital in Coventry, she added: “They saved my life. They did everything they could for me, bringing me back from the brink and I’m so grateful to them.”
Bronwen Spraggett, immunisation co-ordinator at NHS Warwickshire, said: “Flu can be deadly and we encourage everyone in an at-risk group to be vaccinated. People at-risk include anyone with a long-term condition like asthma, diabetes or a suppressed immune system, people aged 65 and over and all pregnant women.”
Tags: Flu & Viruses | Respiratory | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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