Melbourne mum of three sadly dies from flu complications

Melbourne mother-of-three the latest victim of Australia’s horror flu season.

Tennille Smith, from Mill Park, started feeling ill on her 40th birthday, on October 8, and collapsed at home days later after believing her symptoms would pass, her family said.

She spent more than a week at at the Northern Hospital being treated for the flu and pneumonia before she died.

“It’s devastating. Our family has been turned upside down,” said her father, Garry Seamer.

“But we’re not the only people who’ve lost someone from the flu this year. There’s just got to be more awareness for people out there.

Mrs Smith managed to cling to life for just one more day so that her organs would be in good shape for donation.

‘Even right to her last breath, giving her organs to provide hope for other people’.

Just last week young, Madeline Jones, aged 18, become the latest victim of the country’s deadly flu outbreak where she become unwell while on a holiday to the Sunshine Coast with her boyfriend two weeks ago and fell into a coma. Read more here.

QLD teenager the latest flu victim

PLEASE if you are feeling unwell do not hesitate to visit a doctor.

Doctors have blamed a cheap flu vaccine for Australia’s horror flu season, as the deadly virus claimed hundreds of lives.

Professor Paul Van Buynder, chair of the Immunisation Coalition, told the Daily Telegraph the government needs to invest in the stronger vaccine, regardless of the cost.

Meanwhile Professor Brendan Murphy, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, denied claims cheap vaccines were used in the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

Professor Murphy said the stronger vaccinations that are available internationally were ‘currently not able to be supplied in Australia’.

‘The choice of vaccines is based on recommendations from independent medical experts including the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation,’ he said.

Our thoughts are with Tennille’s family and friends.

Share your comments below.

Image via Gofundme

21 Comments

- - mom101628 said
  - 28 Dec 2017
    9:18 pm
Such a tragedy for Tennille’s family especially so close to Christmas. My thoughts are with them.

- - june11 said
  - 11 Nov 2017
    9:05 pm
I was told by 2 medical personell from different practises that this vaccination does not cover the additional strain of flu that has invaded us recently

- - BellaB said
  - 01 Nov 2017
    9:31 am
There’s no doubt that there seem to have been many more deaths than usual this season.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    2:08 pm
I love it- we’re supposed to be ‘the lucky country’ and our government can’t be stuffed spending a bit more money on getting better vaccines when we are some of the highest taxed people, one of the most expensive countries in the world. Lucky indeed. People are dying and it could have been prevented- wake up!

- - ella12 said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    12:12 pm
This is just so incredibly sad, I feel for the family.

- - tessie said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    10:42 am
So sad to hear of another death due to the flu and complications. Sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones

- - country chick said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    9:38 am
A very sad story, perhaps as a community we need to focus on stopping the spread of these virus and being more tolerant to being able to take time off work to recover and not pass it on to those more vulnerable,

- - Ellen said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    4:02 am
More and more I start to doubt if we should take the flu vaccination at all. We don’t built our immune system with that or any defensibility…

- - musicmum said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    9:45 pm
It is not the flu that is killing people rather it is their poor immune system. Blaming inferior vaccines sounds a bit strange to me. What other vaccines are an inferior product?

- - mom111059 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    7:06 pm
What a sad story. I feel so sorry for her family.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    7:04 pm
who would think that the flu could kill in this day and age. Such tragedies.

- - ashna9 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    6:48 pm
Another tragedy from an illness that just shouldn’t kill in this day and age.

- - mom112217 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    6:42 pm
I just saw this on the news,my heart goes out to the family.

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    6:31 pm
Such a terrible tragedy. This flu or rather the complications are very unpredictable.

- - mom206279 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    6:22 pm
Surely a slightly inferior vaccine is still better than no vaccine at all? Perhaps more money should be invested in supporting workers being able to stay home when they’re sick instead of our nation full of casuals needing to go to work to pay their bills no matter how sick they are and spreading their germs around?

- - rovermum said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    5:59 pm
This is such a tragedy. I feel so sad for this family. I thought we lived in a world now where the flu would not kill us. We just all need to be wary and super vigilant and not wait to visit the Doctor.

- - nadine_hill said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    5:59 pm
An absolute tragedy that so many have succumbed to the flu this year – heartbreaking.

- - mom83823 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    5:40 pm
Condolences to the family. Whoever thought that the flu can be so life threatening. RIP.

- - mom90758 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    1:29 pm
Too many victims of the flue this year. So upsetting. Poor woman. I am very sorry for her. 🙁

- - mom160421 said
  - 30 Oct 2017
    12:50 pm
How devastating for this family. My deepest condolences.