Tributes flow for eight-year-old victim of flu outbreak

THE father of eight-year-old “little angel” Rosie has issued a heartbreaking warning to parents after his daughter tragically died from the flu last week at a Melbourne hospital.

Rosie’s family is devastated by the death of their “little angel”. Picture: Supplied

• Parents on red alert over flu

THE father of eight-year-old “little angel” Rosie has paid tribute to his daughter who tragically died from the flu last week.

Rosie’s father, Christian Brealey, thanked the community for their compassion after her sudden death, in a statement released to the Herald Sun.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, loving little angel,” Mr Brealey said.

“Words cannot describe the depths of our grief. We want to thank our friends and family and the broader community for all the messages of love and compassion. We are so grateful for your support.

“We urge everyone to get their kids immunised against the flu and ask only that our privacy is respected and our family given time and space to grieve.”

The vivacious little girl died at the Angliss Hospital in Upper Ferntree Gully on Friday, just days after falling ill.

Rosie’s family is devastated by the loss of their “little angel”. Picture: Supplied

Rosie’s death is one of 10 caused by the flu in just over a month. Picture: Supplied

Rosie had been sick for a few days and her family thought she had a bad cold, not expecting it would take her life.

She went into cardiac arrest on Friday morning and within a few hours had died, despite three ambulances and six paramedics working to save her life.

Her death is one of 10 caused by the flu in just over a month.

Authorities have declared it one of the state’s worst flu seasons in ­recent years.

Friends have paid tribute online to Rosie, who died on Friday, with one wishing that she could take their “heartbreaking pain away”.

“We love you and will be here to support you in any way we can,” the friend said.

“RIP beautiful princess.”

The bubbly girl was a Cub Scout, set to attend a statewide camp during the school holidays, as well as a taekwondo student.

A fundraising page to support the family, from Melbourne’s southeast, had raised more than $2000 last night.

“It is with great sadness that one of our own has lost a member of their family,” the page said.

“As the family struggle to come to terms with this loss, we are hoping to raise some donations to show how much we care about (them) and ease some of the burden during this time.

“You’re our family, our thoughts are with you always.”

Another tribute added: “there really are no words, but please know that you are all in our hearts and we are sending you so much love”.

The Education Department confirmed that Victorian schools had recently been advised on how best to cope with flu cases.

“The death of any child is tragic and our thoughts are with the family of this student,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

“We have recently sent schools a reminder of our advice on dealing with cases of the flu.”

Rosie’s death comes after influenza killed eight residents of a Wangaratta nursing home and young father Ben Ihlow.

The 30-year-old, who died on Father’s Day, had complained about feeling unwell from “a bug” almost a week earlier.

Following his death, health authorities revealed that the number of notified laboratory-confirmed cases of flu had shot up 81 per cent from last year.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy implored Victorians not to ignore potentially-deadly flu symptoms.

She also called for people to get the flu shot and follow good hand hygiene.

“This is yet another reminder that this flu season has been tragic,” Ms Hennessy said.

“But most importantly, don’t ignore flu symptoms: speak to your local doctor early and get yourself treated.”

You can donate to Rosie’s family here

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@AneekaSimonis