Ryan had a sore throat and a runny nose. The doctors only realized that there was a serious illness behind it when the one-year-old’s body gave up.
Broken Hill – Small children are often affected, especially during the cold season. Symptoms such as cough, runny nose and fever usually indicate a common cold. With a few insider tips you can usually get rid of the infection quickly. However, behind a runny nose and sore throat there can also be a serious illness – the parents of a little boy from Australia had to experience this painfully.
The little boy initially showed harmless cold symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose
Ryan celebrated his birthday on December 6, 2022 before falling ill a day later. The family, who lives in the small Australian town of Broken Hill, weren’t particularly worried at first: Ryan didn’t show any worrying symptoms, he just suffered from a sore throat, runny nose and muscle aches. However, as the day went on, the one-year-old boy became increasingly worse.
“In the afternoon he had a slightly elevated temperature and was no longer himself,” says his mother Jessica Lines Interview with ABC News. At some point he became so ill that he could no longer even walk independently, says Lines. Together with her husband, she finally took her son to a hospital. However, they were told that the boy probably had a viral infection – the family should go home.
Ryan suffered severe blood poisoning from a streptococcal infection
However, after Ryan got even worse the following day, his parents took him to the hospital again. After some examinations it became clear: the boy’s condition was so unstable that he had to be flown to a larger hospital in the nearest big city. There it turned out that Ryan had been infected with streptococci and had suffered blood poisoning as a result.
Streptococcal infection
Streptococci are bacteria that cause scarlet fever: inflammation of the throat as well as skin and soft tissue inflammation. Symptoms range from a mild sore throat with minimally abnormal examination findings to a high fever and severe sore throat. Smaller children are particularly susceptible. It is important to treat the infection quickly, otherwise it can lead to serious complications.
Source: AOK and Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
“I still can’t believe a simple strep infection turned into septic shock syndrome,” Lines explains on Instagram, where she documents her child’s dramatic story. At the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Ryan’s heart even stopped beating – doctors had to resuscitate him for ten minutes. In the following four months he had to undergo multiple operations. The tissue in his hands and lower legs had died due to the lack of nutrients caused by blood poisoning and was therefore amputated. Mosquito bites can also cause blood poisoning – a young woman suffered kidney failure as a result.
- Symptoms of blood poisoning
- Fever or hypothermia
- chills
- increased pulse
- strong feeling of illness
- Pains
- confusion
- Source: AOK
Ryan’s mother explains that cold symptoms can also mean serious illnesses
The little boy is now said to be doing well again given the circumstances. “There are moments when he gets a little frustrated, but he’s still a cheeky, almost two-year-old boy,” Lines said ABC News. Pictures and videos on her Instagram account show Ryan happily practicing running and standing with his prosthetic legs. “He is slowly making his first movements in his prostheses,” writes Lines under one of the videos.
By sharing her story, Lines wants to educate other families about how dangerous a strep infection can be – and that you should always listen to your gut if your child isn’t feeling well. In Great Britain, for example, last year several children died due to streptococcal infections. “We will always be reporting on Ryan’s journey, all the messages I’ve received from people around the world about how much they’ve learned from Ryan’s story,” Lines said on her account. “I know Ryan has made so much of a difference for others.” (tt)
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