The parents and brother of a young boy who died suddenly from complications of the H1N1 virus say they are speaking out to encourage extra vigilance around those exhibiting symptoms of the flu.
Their emotional message comes as thousands of people flock to flu clinics across the country to be immunized against the virus, which is commonly known as swine flu.
Clinics reported seeing a influx of people yesterday after news broke of 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio's death.
Paul Frustaglio, his wife Ann-Marie and their young son Will spoke to CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday to explain how their son's heart stopped beating after contracting what seemed like a mild case of the flu.
Evan died Monday, three days after complaining to his mom about a sore throat. Ann-Marie Frustaglio, who works as a registered nurse, said his condition seemed mild.
"It progressed to a little bit of a cough and we figured it's a cough, okay, and from there it didn't seem like much more than that," she said, fighting back tears.
Evan and his mom were at a hockey tournament in London, Ont. over the weekend. By Sunday morning, the family packed for home after Evan developed a fever.
"He came home and rested. I fed him some homemade chicken soup which he liked," she said. "He drank lots of liquids."
By Monday, Evan's fever had subsided but his father Paul decided to stay home and watch over his son, encouraging his wife to return to work.
In the morning, Evan complained of having a mild stomach ache and pain in his legs. About 10 minutes after having a bath, Evan went back to the bathroom and collapsed.
"As I'm picking him up, he kind of lost life," said Paul, his voice breaking. "I said, 'Wake up, come on son, let's get back to your room,' but at that point there was no response."
Despite performing CPR, Frustaglio was unable to revive his son. Neither could the paramedics who rushed to the family's Etobicoke home.
"They just couldn't get his little heart going," he said.
"It was like a lightning bolt. It struck him at that moment and I couldn't do anything about it. It's the worst feeling in the world when you can't look after your child," he said, breaking down.
Evan's mother said parents need to make sure they do whatever they can to ensure they are getting the right medical advice concerning their children.
"Force second and third opinions until you get the answer you need," she said crying and clutching the hand of her husband and remaining son.
"This is a terrible, terribly tragedy and it's going to be day-to-day for us."
Panic
Evan's death raised concerns amongst parents and the general public as thousands flocked to flu clinics across Canada to get immunized against the H1N1 virus.
Some clinics reported delays of about three hours.
In Toronto, the Hospital for Sick Children reported a busier than normal night.
Telehealth Ontario, a provincial hotline staffed by registered nurses, also claimed a surge in phone calls yesterday. They are telling callers there is a nine to 10-hour wait for a nurse or doctor to call them back. They would not confirm if H1N1 concerns were behind the surge in calls.
Dr. Neil Rau, an infectious disease expert, said Evan Frustaglio's case is a tragedy but that there is no need for panic.
"This is a horrible story for any parent but the truth is that this is the medical equivalent of lightning striking," he said. "It's an incredibly rare event that occurs in about one in 250,000 cases."
He said the incident should remind people who are at high risk of contracting the disease to get the flu shot.
Medical officials say symptoms of the H1N1 virus are similar to the regular flu.
They include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny, stuffy nose
- Body aches
- Headache
- Chills
- Fatigue
Some have also reported vomiting and diarrhea as symptoms.
