I could not believe that my child had died in my arms
A Verulam boy died at home after injections and nebulization for bronchospasm; mother reports he became drowsy, hallucinated, then suffered seizures before death. Second case: eight-year-old died from pneumonia after initial hospital turned away flu patient; mother alleges delayed diagnosis and treatment contributed to death.
- Altaio Jordan, 4, died at home in Verulam hours after receiving injections and nebulization for bronchospasm
- Liam Bowes, 8, died from pneumonia after initial hospital refused to treat him for flu symptoms
- Three respiratory viruses circulating in Durban: influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, with overlapping symptoms
A four-year-old boy died hours after receiving treatment for a persistent cough, while another child died from flu complications. Parents question medical response and urge vigilance with respiratory symptoms.
Nerissa Rosendaw watched her four-year-old son Altaio slip away in her arms on a Wednesday afternoon in Verulam, hours after a doctor treated him for a persistent cough. The boy had been sick for two weeks with flu-like symptoms, but seemed to be getting better. He was energetic enough that morning to help his father and uncle in the yard, and he walked into the doctor's office on his own. When the cough wouldn't clear, Rosendaw brought him in for evaluation.
The doctor diagnosed bronchospasm—a sudden tightening of the airways—and gave Altaio two injections, then nebulized him to help open his lungs. It didn't seem serious. Rosendaw drove him home, but by the time they arrived around 11:30 in the morning, the boy was weak and drowsy. When he didn't wake by early afternoon, she messaged the doctor. He told her to let him rest.
What followed was a parent's nightmare compressed into hours. Altaio became restless in sleep, hallucinating and screaming. He called out repeatedly for his older brother Liam. Around 5 p.m., his body began to convulse. Rosendaw picked him up and watched his eyes roll back. She screamed. Her brother Prevlin Govender, who lived nearby, heard her and rushed over to perform CPR, but fluid was pouring from the child's mouth. They raced to Reaction Unit South Africa's offices, where paramedics pronounced Altaio dead on arrival. The death certificate listed natural causes. Rosendaw was waiting for the full autopsy results to decide whether to pursue a medical negligence claim. Altaio was buried on Saturday.
His death was not isolated. In Sydenham, eight-year-old Liam Bowes died from pneumonia after what his mother describes as a cascade of medical missteps. Liam developed a high fever, then a cough, vomiting, and diarrhea. His mother Carla Bowes took him to King Dinuzulu Hospital on June 5, but the doctor—without examining his chest or conducting a physical exam—told her to take him to a clinic instead, saying the hospital doesn't treat flu cases. She took him to a private general practitioner to speed up care. When he didn't improve, the doctor eventually referred him back to King Dinuzulu Hospital.
Liam was admitted last Saturday. By Sunday, his condition had crashed. He had pneumonia. He was transferred by ambulance to King Edward Hospital, where doctors found water in his lungs and failing kidneys. His blood pressure had spiked. He had contracted a viral infection on top of everything else. He was scheduled for a blood transfusion, but died on Wednesday before it could happen, before the doctors even knew what virus had infected him. Bowes is certain the delay cost her son his life. "If my baby had been given the treatment he needed the first time we took him to the hospital, he would probably still be alive," she said. "Parents must not miss the signs."
Dr. Ashendri Pillay, head of the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, confirmed that Durban is currently dealing with overlapping respiratory viruses—influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2. The symptoms blur together: fever, nasal congestion, cough, sneezing. RSV is particularly dangerous for young children and infants, commonly triggering bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The medical community is watching these cases closely, and parents are being urged to treat any respiratory symptoms in children as potentially serious and to seek immediate medical attention rather than wait.
Citas Notables
If my baby had been given the treatment he needed the first time we took him to the hospital, he would probably still be alive. Parents must not miss the signs.— Carla Bowes, mother of Liam
I could not believe that my child had died in my arms at home. I could not understand how this could have happened when he was not seriously ill.— Nerissa Rosendaw, mother of Altaio
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What strikes you most about these two deaths happening so close together?
The speed. Altaio went from walking into a doctor's office to dead in his mother's arms in less than six hours. That's what haunts you—how fast a child can decline once something goes wrong.
Do we know what actually killed him? The bronchospasm diagnosis, or something the treatment triggered?
That's the question the mother is waiting to answer. The death certificate says natural causes, but she's waiting for the full autopsy. She's trying to figure out if the injections and nebulizer caused a reaction, or if something else was already happening that the doctor missed.
And Liam's case feels different—more about the system failing him.
It does. He was turned away from a hospital, bounced to a private doctor, then sent back. By the time he got real care, pneumonia had already set in and his organs were shutting down. His mother is clear: the delay killed him.
Is there a pattern here, or just bad luck?
Both, maybe. These viruses are circulating right now in Durban—RSV, flu, COVID—and they look alike. Doctors are overwhelmed. But that's exactly why you can't afford to miss the signs. A cough that seems mild can become pneumonia in a child in days.
What would these mothers tell other parents?
Don't assume your child is fine because they seem energetic. Don't accept being turned away. Push for a real examination. And don't wait—respiratory symptoms in kids can turn deadly fast.