"I thought she might die... don't take the risk": Manchester mum tells how daughter, 4, was left fighting for life with common sickness

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A mother whose four-year-old daughter was hospitalised with flu is urging parents to get their children jabbed. Maryam Sheiakh took her daughter Saffy to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital with a severe cough and high temperature.

She was later referred to a high-dependency unit and required oxygen. "I was seriously concerned we might lose Saffy," Ms Sheiakh, from Manchester, said. "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?" READ MORE: Saffy, now six, made a full recovery.

And now her mother has urged all parents to vaccinate their children. "Just go and get it, don't take the risk," Ms Sheiakh added. "No parent wants to watch their child suffer like we did with Saffy." Ms Sheiakh has shared her story as health officials raised concerns over a drop in the uptake of the flu vaccine after it emerged at least 18,000 deaths were associated with the illness over the past two years.

Eligible people are now being urged to get vaccinated to protect themselves from winter viruses. There was a drop in people having the jab across all eligible groups in England last year, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).