Ashley Mirembe Strass

Birth:  Jun. 23, 2006
Homosassa, Florida, USA
Citrus County

Death:  May 7, 2011
Fairfax City, Virginia, USA


Four years old.
Beloved daughter of Claude and Tracey Strass, sister of Steve.

Died from malaria infection she got in Uganda while being on holiday.

Ashley was described being a constant burst of energy and eager to start kindergarten. She was charming,
friendly, loving and always talking to whoever bothered to listen. Her favorite foods were pancakes, mac and
cheese and French toast with syrup. Ashley also enjoyed swimming, taking walks and watching the sunset.


Burial:
Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend.
Specifically: Given to her family, urn at home- Lecanto cremation, FL

Created by: RabekahsRainbow
Record added: Jun 23, 2012
Find A Grave Memorial# 92411100
Ashley's Story
In Her Father's Words

Ashley was in Kampala Uganda for about 3 weeks with her mother Tracey Strass. Ashley took ill in Uganda and
was taken to Case International Hospital at least 2 times. The hospital drew blood and said she did not have
malaria, but had a bacterial infection and gave her antibiotics (malaria is a parasite and antibiotics don't work).
Ashley was then taken to a second facility called Life Link multiple times and they did exactly the same thing and
misdiagnosed her the same way,

Tracey became ill after returning in June and the Citrus County Health Department diagnosed her with the flu
even though Tracey had gotten flu shots. Days and Days passed and Tracey got sicker and sicker plus she was
pregnant. The doctor again said she had the flu and told her to keep taking the medication ( they knew she had
been to Uganda and Ashley had died of malaria). I became very concerned and called the CDC. They contacted
the health department and asked if they had tested Tracey for the flu and they said no, then the CDC sent us
back to the health department and Tracey was tested negative for the flu We were than sent by the CDC directly
to Citrus memorial hospital to draw blood for analysis and within 1/2 hour they told us she had malaria and to
doctor refused to see or treat her. I offered to give them contacts at the CDC and they refused to use them.
Tracey had a very high fever, low red blood cell count low platelets, and low sugar level, The unborn child's
heart beat was dangerously high and nothing was getting better. The hospital tried to transfer Tracey to Tampa
General and Shands. Both hospitals refused the transfer because they said Tracey and the babies condition
was to critical and they were too at risk. Finally Winnie Palmer hospital in Orlando agreed to take her and she
was taken by the EMS. Tracey was in the hospital there for almost a week with coordinated treatments between
the CDC and Winnie Palmer.

The medical examiners office was in Fairfax County Virgina. I will try to get the female doctors name.

Ashley and Tracey went to the Citrus County Health Department about two weeks before their trip to Uganda
and were not given preventive malaria medication We now knew it is pills not a shot.

Claude Strass
Ashley Strauss's story.


Ashley died when she was misdiagnosed as a cold,
when she actually had malaria..read her story,

In Her Father's Words on this page.
UPDATE:  FEBRUARY 1, 2013

It is clear now that the CDC had very many people running around doing many different things without any
coordination, good communication, or common goals and too much editing and editorials which leaves one with
so many conflicting issues and supposed facts that it is impossible to determine what really happened.

Where are all the actual documents instead of so many third party conversations and emails? There are a
number of items covered in the FOIA response in which I have first-hand information actually reported incorrectly
by the CDC.

Where is the 6 foot time line document prepared by Liz Harton CDC officer or the final conclusions on why the
Citrus County health department did not provide proper pre-travel treatments, why the misdiagnosis of Ashley
Strass at the Case Hospital and Life Link.

Why the reporting of Ashley's death at the Reason Hospital was delayed, and why Ashley died in the Reston
Hospital after arriving with a normal blood pressure? Why the Virginia Medical Examiner's office refused to test for
malaria when it was requested by both Claude Strass and the CDC?

Why the Citrus County misdiagnosed Tracey Strass' malaria case and almost died until Claude Strass contacted
Liz Harton from the CDC for help?

Is it normal for so many facts to be missing and substituted by many duplicate 3rd party emails with so many miss
facts and distortions?

We believed in the CDC's integrity, ability, and representations for almost 2 years based on the periodic updates
until we finally saw the in compete and incompetence in their FOIA documents released with so many actual facts
and original documentation withheld ( more than 70% of the pages were duplicate after duplicate).

This experience has been so very disturbing that has affected me as much as the loss of my daughter.
The only things we know for sure is a mosquito bite caused malaria and that our Ashley is dead and Tracey and
our son almost died all from not receiving proper medical care from many medical facilities at many different
levels.

The results speak for themselves so many medical records from so many medical facilities and services are
missing (they don't just disappear). So we are forced to rely on here say, and 3rd party discussions they are
heavily audited and redacted.

My family and wife deserve better...

Sincerely,

Claude Strass
5 Mastic Court West
Homosassa, Florida 34446
352-382-3496
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2013:

Posted by Claude Strass on February 2, 2013 at 10:36 am  edit

We realize that after Liz Harton, CDC Federal Officer completed a comprehensive
report in the fall of 2011 on our daughter’s wrongful death. She was required to
turn it over to the CDC’s legal department before releasing it to the dead minor’s
parents, after this no further communications was allowed and the report has been
withheld from the parents based on the CDC’s legal department. It is a shame
when our government decides that the investigation of our daughter’s death
becomes top secret and classified and unavailable to the grieving parents of their
4 year old daughter