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| Infant and Child Vaccines: Personal Testimonies |
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The Story of Amanda Kanowitz |
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| Courtesy of Families Fighting Flu |
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| On the morning of Saturday, February 28, 2004, 4½-year-old Amanda Kanowitz developed a cough and a mild fever. She stayed home and spent the day playing her favorite games with her family. The next morning, she began vomiting, but appeared to have nothing more than a typical virus.
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| By Sunday evening, Amanda appeared weak and her lips started to look gray. Amanda's mother called the family doctor, who told her that she had received over 60 calls that weekend about the same virus, and that Amanda would be okay as long as she stayed hydrated. The doctor recommended that Amanda only drink several sips of water at a time, and that her parents should make sure she continued to urinate. |
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| At 3:30 a.m., Amanda woke her parents because she was concerned that she had drank an entire cup of water, instead of just taking sips. She then told them she had a stomachache and urinated in the bathroom. |
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| Just four hours later, at 7:30 a.m., Amanda's parents found her lifeless in her bed. |
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| To honor Amanda's memory, the Kanowitz family has established the Amanda Kanowitz Foundation, which is focusing on research to identify which other children should be considered high-risk for such sudden, extreme reactions to the flu and other infectious diseases. |
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| Families Fighting Flu (FFF) was established in the memory of the children who die each year from the complications of influenza. FFF member families have experienced first-hand the severity of influenza in a child, with many of the members having suffered the devastating loss of an infant, child, or teen. The mission of the non-profit organization, which is made up of families and healthcare professionals, is to reduce pediatric deaths due to influenza by raising awareness about the importance of annual influenza vaccination for children. This report is reprinted courtesy of Families Fighting Flu. |
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| For more information, please visit www.familiesfightingflu.org, or www.amandakfoundation.org |
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| Published 4/10/09 |
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| Disclaimer: The Immunization
Action Coalition (IAC) publishes
personal testimonies for the purpose
of making them available for our
readers' review.
Please note that information in the
testimonies may be outdated and may
not reflect the current immunization
schedule or recommendations. |
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| Infant and Child Vaccines |
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| Amanda Kanowitz Foundation |
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| Amanda Kanowitz Foundation |
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| is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) volunteer-based advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the lives of children by increasing awareness about the seriousness of the disease and reducing the number of childhood hospitalizations and deaths caused by the flu each year. |
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This page was updated on July 18, 2021.
This page was reviewed on July 18, 2021. |
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Immunize.org • 2136 Ford Parkway • Suite 5011 • Saint Paul, Minnesota • 55116 |
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tel 651-647-9009 • fax 651-647-9131 |
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Immunize.org (IAC), a non-profit organization, works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for health professionals and the public that enhance delivery of safe and effective immunization services. IAC also facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines within the broad immunization community of patients, parents, healthcare organizations, and government health agencies. |
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