Ruby Ayioub should have been celebrating her 6th birthday today.

Instead, the young girl from Dublin died last week from meningitis, after first being diagnosed with swine flu.

Her father Michel now wants to warn other parents about the risks and symptoms of the deadly disease.

Ruby first became ill on a Friday night. On Saturday, she was taken to a doctor who diagnosed swine flu, and sent her home. She was finally diagnosed with meningitis at half past three on Sunday, and was on life support by half past six.

Michel Ayioub’s been describing the awful trauma his family’s going through.

“It’s the worst thing you ever can do in your life, the worst thing you have to go through in your life actually” he said.

“I was told ‘you are in the right place’ and all this kind of thing – I felt nothing. My baby was dying in my arms (and) I did not know”.

“Ruby was unlucky, got sick in the weekend…swine flu was rampant, parents didn’t know anything and doctors didn’t diagnose it” he added.