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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Trinidad and Tobago : ‘Dengue killed my son’

A moving report from News Day, fatality from dengue, excerpt :

" EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Andrew Anirudh had high hopes of receiving good grades in this year’s CAPE examinations. But he never got a chance to collect the results. The former A-Level pupil of Miracle Ministries College in Couva, died yesterday at San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), days after contracting the deadly dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Anirudh’s father Siewlal was inconsolable as he recounted the last times spent with his son. Siewlal sat on a chair at the family home in Rodney Road, Orange Field, Carapichaima and wept as he gazed at a photo of his son. He explained that two weeks ago, his son began experiencing symptoms associated with dengue and was taken to the Couva Health Centre. Staff members took several blood tests but told relatives to return last Thursday since a machine was not working.

“We eventually carried him by a private doctor who confirmed he had dengue. On Thursday, he fainted while going to the wash room and was again taken to Couva. They transferred him in San Fernando Hospital...” Siewlal sobbed. The weeping man begged municipalities to spray and control the breeding of the disease vector the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. “Spray the area and all other areas so that families do not have to go through what I and the rest of my family are going through. Dengue killed my boy! He was my love...my sugar,” Siewlal said.

Anirudh’s mother Nalini said her son’s condition deteriorated rapidly. “He was very weak and could not help himself. I believe the doctors at San Fernando could have done more for him. The situation in the hospital is very sad, it is very poor,” Nalini said."

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