Give children swine flu jab, says doctor as his girl dies in 48 hours

12 April 2012

A doctor whose three-year-old daughter was killed by swine flu has released a picture of her in hospital and called for all children to be vaccinated against the virus.

Lana Ameen, who had not had previous health problems, died on Boxing Day only 48 hours after developing symptoms on Christmas Eve.

Today her doctor father Zana, 34, and mother Gemma called on the Government to make the flu jab available to all children. They released a harrowing photo of their daughter's final moments, as she lay hooked up to ventilators in intensive care in Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool. The couple, of Birmingham, told how they watched as Lana had fits for three hours and was revived three times before she died.

Mrs Ameen, 28, who is three months pregnant, said: "Lana was very healthy. She's hardly ever been ill, just the odd cold here and there, she didn't have any underlying issues.

"It can kill young, fit and healthy people in such a short space of time. It's just about how your body reacts to the virus. Some people can fight it off, and some people can't. You don't know how it's going to affect you. Apparently [the vaccine] does keep you immune for quite a while, so if everyone did have it, it would stop the spread. It should be freely available.

"I want to get the message across that we're trying to change government policies based on the fact that you can't pick and choose who deserves certain medication. Everyone has a right to protect themselves.

"Losing Lana is just awful. It's heart-breaking. We look at different things in the house and see her clothes and toys, the programmes we used to watch, everything reminds me of her. You can't describe the feeling."

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