The youngest victim yet of the winter flu outbreak has been named. Coby Simons, died aged nine just six days after developing flu despite being seen by a GP and A&E staff.
Coby is believed to be the youngest victim of the flu season, which has claimed over 200 lives in Britain.
Now his parents have spoken out, hoping others will spot the signs of life-threatening viral infections before it is too late.
A post-mortem examination found Coby had type B flu, which can be extremely harmful but does not cause pandemics.
His mother Louise Simons, 29, said: ‘It’s like being in a bad dream – it doesn’t feel real. It’s still such a shock. He would have been ten in two months’ time.’
Coby, of Exeter, Devon, was taken to A&E at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital after he developed puffy eyes after a nap, but was sent home and told to take Calpol and Ibuprofen. His mother, who said his ‘skin was cold but inside he felt warm’, took him back the next morning, but he died less than 24 hours later.