Medical professionals diagnosed Minka, a 10-year-old child, with the flu and assured the family not to be concerned. However, tragically, Minka passed away a few days later.

Ten-year-old Minka Aisha Greene was a vivacious, healthy elementary school student who rarely, if ever, got sick. 

When Kymesha, Minka’s mother, observed a sudden decrease in her daughter’s appetite and a lack of interest in playing with her friends, she realized that something serious was going on.

During the early part of the month, Minka had to make two trips to the hospital. The doctors informed her mother that it was just a common case of the seasonal flu and prescribed some rest along with ibuprofen.

Shortly after those hospital visits, Minka started vomiting while lying in her bed, leading to an urgent trip to the hospital. Unfortunately, Minka’s condition deteriorated during the ambulance journey.

One of her eyes closed entirely, the other rolled back, and her tongue twitched uncontrollably, according to her mother. 

By the time they reached the hospital, Minka, from Maryland, had stopped breathing, her mother remembered.

After her death the family learned the little girl had suffered severe brain inflammation caused by the flu that has killed more children than usual this year.

Ten-year-old Minka Aisha Greene of Maryland died from flu-related encephalitis after multiple hospital visits, where doctors initially dismissed her illness as routine flu

Minka’s mother said doctors didn’t investigate Minka’s condition further and urged others to press doctors to conduct more tests, such as an MRI or chest X-ray, to ensure it’s not something more serious before sending the child home

The US is in the midst of a protracted flu epidemic that has killed 13,000 people this season, including at least 60 children.

Minka’s story of being dismissed at the emergency department is not unique. 

Other grieving parents have described similar experiences, including that of nine-year-old Alex Doom. 

Typically, the flu causes fever or chills, cough, body and headaches, and fatigue. In some cases, flu may give way to pneumonia, a potentially fatal condition in which the infection spreads to the lungs and fills it with fluid.

Flu can also lead to sepsis – when the infection enters the blood – and respiratory failure. 

The CDC recently revealed that nine children have died of IAE, or brain inflammation that can cause delirium, seizures, and, in some cases, death.

The 13 percent of child flu deaths attributed to IAE this season is slightly above average.

Alex Doom passed away in December, two days after being sent home from the emergency department.

His mother had taken him to urgent care on December 23, where he was diagnosed with the flu. 

Doctors gave him Tamiflu, the antiviral medication, and sent them on their way.

The family spent Christmas morning in the emergency room at a Sherman, Illinois hospital. 

Alex had a high fever and an elevated heart rate, but he was still allowed to go home and ‘let it pass.’

The next day, he became limp, stopped responding to people, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

Alex Doom, right, shown with his brother, passed away in December, two days after being sent home from the emergency department. He was diagnosed with sepsis after being airlifted to a larger hospital, and died hours later

At that same ER, doctors diagnosed him with severe sepsis, and he had to be connected to a breathing machine. 

Soon after, he lost his pulse, and doctors performed CPR for several minutes until he regained consciousness. But he would not recover. 

After air-lifting him to a hospital in St Louis, where he was on life support, his body deteriorated so much that life-sustaining measures were no longer effective.

‘Alex was a wonderful kid who touched the lives of those around him,’ his parents said.

‘If you ever met Alex, then you know he had the biggest smile ever! Alex had a heart of gold and was loved by so many.’

Alex’s case echoes that of a Boston police detective, Mark Walsh, 51, who died last month from sepsis after contracting the flu and suffered trauma to his heart.

When he arrived at the hospital with chest pains, doctors said he had endured a ‘cardiac event,’ which does not necessarily mean a heart attack, though the family was not more specific.

He was deemed to be in stable condition at the hospital when he began exhibiting signs of sepsis.

Mark Walsh, 51, [right] died last month from sepsis after the flu and heart trauma. He was initially stable after arriving with chest pains but soon showed signs of sepsis. Mark loved grilling, golf, and his wife and two sons, John Daniel and Connor William [pictured]

Nine-year-old Madeline Vernon from North Carolina died after developing a 104.9°F fever after initially being sent home, with doctors chalking her symptoms up to normal flu infection. She was later placed on a ventilator and passed away hours later

Mark loved grilling for his friends, sports – especially golf – and his wife and two sons, John Daniel and Connor William.

Just a few weeks prior, nine-year-old Madeline Vernon from North Carolina died after developing a 104.9F.

She had gone to urgent care a few days before, where she was diagnosed with the flu and sent home. 

A few days later, she was rushed back to urgent care, placed on a ventilator to help her breathe, and transported to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem. 

She passed away hours later.

‘I literally feel like my heart has been ripped in half. I literally lost a piece of me,’ her mother said.

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, and Connecticut had the highest flu activity. The five states with the lowest flu activity as of February 2025 are Alaska, Hawaii, West Virginia, Montana, and Wyoming

Madeline hadn’t gotten a flu shot this year; neither had Minka. It’s unclear whether Mark had gotten vaccinated, though with a state flu vaccination rate of 84 percent, most Massachusetts residents are protected from severe illness.

It’s also unclear whether Alex had been vaccinated before getting sick, but vaccination rates in Illinois are low, with around 28 percent of residents being fully vaccinated.

Historically, flu vaccine effectiveness varies annually, typically ranging from 40 percent to 60 percent. This year’s is believed to be about 35 percent effective at preventing hospitalization.

That 35 percent, which may seem low to some, is still high enough for doctors and public health officials to urge the public to vaccinate.