A mum has urged people to get a flu jab ahead of the winter season after her daughter was hospitalised with the virus. Maryam Sheiakh, from Manchester, watched helplessly as four-year-old Saffy struggled to breathe and needed oxygen after being admitted to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital with a severe cough and high temperature.She said: "I was seriously concerned we might lose Saffy.
I honestly thought she might die from this. I was so distraught watching her struggling to breathe day after day, worried about her breathing difficulties and getting oxygen to the brain - would she be the same little girl before she got ill? ".Thankfully, Saffy made a full recovery thanks to the efforts of NHS staff and is now a thriving six-year-old.
But Maryam, a nursery teacher, is now urging all parents to vaccinate their children against the flu.She added: "Just go and get it, don't take the risk.
No parent wants to watch their child suffer like we did with Saffy," reports Surrey Live.Maryam was speaking as new data reveals that over the past two winters - defined as October to May - at least 18,000 deaths were linked to the flu.