Holiday tragedy: Girl, 3, dies after suffering seizure on way home from Maldives

The little girl died months after returning home from a holiday in the Maldives. Photo / Ava's Angels

A 3-year-old girl died from a seizure while returning from a family holiday in the Maldives.

Ava Akers, 3, was rushed to hospital after collapsing from an atonic seizure before the family boarded for their first leg home to the UK.

Ava's father Phill Akers has now spoken about his little girl's tragic death.

"She dropped onto the floor having an atonic seizure. Her eyes rolled back, her arms went straight and her whole body was shaking", he told the Daily Mail.

Ava was taken to hospital on the mainland. The doctors thought she had a throat and urine infection, and through a compound effect, a seizure had occurred. After a week at the hospital, Ava started to go back to her normal joyful self. Akers stated "we felt so lucky".

That afternoon, Ava took a turn for the worst and fell into a coma. The Aker's insurance company arranged for Ava to be transported to a private hospital in Bangkok.

She underwent a MRI scan to discover she had Epstein Barr Virus Encephalitis - (EBV) - a type of glandular fever, rarely seen in under 5s.

"The doctors ... filled us with hope that everything was going to be OK." Akers said.

Three weeks later, Ava was flown back to the UK and kept in an intensive care unit.

The doctors gave the Akers the heartbreaking news that the "Ava they knew was gone" and had suggested to take her home.

On July 29, their daughter died.

Ava's parents have since launched a charity called Ava's Angels to collect necessities in support of families with sick children at the Birmingham Children's Hospital.