Family holiday to Brisbane turned deadly as son falls ill on plane

A holiday to the Sunshine State turned deadly for a Melbourne family when their 15-year-old boy fell seriously ill on the plane, prompting a warning for the ‘monster flu season’ ahead.

Australians are being urged to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated ahead of influenza season, with one family learning just how important the annual jab is when their 15-year-old son fell seriously ill.

Earlier this month, Julie Malloy and her family booked a trip to Brisbane to visit relatives that she hadn’t seen in three years due to the pandemic.

Kobe Malloy, who has charcot-marie-tooth disease (CMT) and cerebral palsy, was feeling well and healthy before the trip, but in the sky, his health took a turn for the worse.

The 15-year-old started vomiting and had difficulties breathing.

Kobe Malloy had difficulties breathing on his flight to Queensland. Picture: Supplied

The Melbourne mother felt scared in that moment, saying she knew Kobe’s health could deteriorate quickly due to his weak lungs.

“He ended up on oxygen on the plane for the last 40 minutes of the trip and we couldn’t take the oxygen off, he just wanted the oxygen on all the time.” Mrs Malloy said.

Queensland Ambulance were called before the plane touched down and rushed Kobe to Brisbane Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with influenza A, followed by pneumonia in his right lung.

The ambulance was ready for Kobe when the plane touched down. Picture: Supplied

“He just hates hospitals and he started crying … It was really hard, because everyday [he’d say], ‘I want to go home, I want to go home’,” she said.

“The family was all split up and my husband didn’t get up there until the Friday night, it was horrible, it wasn’t a holiday at all.”

The Malloy family take their flu shot annually, but have yet to this year due to the wait for vaccines to come in.

With Kobe back home in Melbourne and on antibiotics after six days in hospital, getting inoculated is now a priority for them.

Kobe spent six days in Brisbane Children's Hospital. Picture: Supplied

This family’s terrifying wake-up call comes as the Royal Australian College of General Practioners warn of a possible ‘monster flu season’ from June to September.

Before the pandemic hit, Australia recorded 953 influenza-related deaths in 2019, with RACGP President, Professor Karen Price saying flu ‘is something to be taken seriously’.

“GPs are concerned about this year’s flu season because Australians haven’t been exposed to the virus for the past two years like we were in the years before the pandemic.”

The annual shot is recommended for those aged six months or older, with those at higher risk such as young children, pregnant women the elderly and those with certain medical conditions able to access it for free through the National Immunisation Program.