A Child: Belize?s First Hemorrhagic Dengue Death
A Child: Belize?s First Hemorrhagic Dengue Death
A Child: Belize?s First Hemorrhagic Dengue Death
posted (July 15, 2010)
Belize has recorded its first death due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. It is a 5 year old girl whose family is from Progresso Village in the Orange Walk district. A post mortem conducted today on Melissa Ruby Cruz by Dr. Hugh Sanchez confirmed that she died of Dengue Shock.
But her family says that the child didn't have to die; they say it is a negligent health system that is to blame. Monica Bodden found out more today:...
Monica Bodden Reporting
The lifeless body of little 5 year old Melissa Ruby Cruz - was hoisted into the bed of this pickup truck to be taken away for burial in Progresso. The parents - Anna and Ivan Cruz had to console each other as they watched their 3rd oldest child being carted away in a coffin. The 5 year old little girl died on Tuesday morning at 5:00 - as a result of complications brought on by Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever.
It's a heartbreaking story - a parent's worst nightmare. And for this father - he strongly believes his daughter's death was a result of negligence on the part of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
Ivan Cruz - Father
"I bring my daughter here to this KHMH at about 3 p.m. on Saturday evening because she had fever. About 3;30 Sunday morning they release my daughter because they say that she don't have anything serious. I said well that's ok, I took Melissa back home. On Monday Melissa complain about a little pain. We took her to a clinic and they told us that Melissa had something serious and that we need to take her to the hospital. We bring Melissa here at KHMH, they told me that she had an appendix problem so the first thing they did was rush her to the theatre room."
After the surgery was over Cruz said he was told that Melissa needed to take a blood test.
Ivan Cruz
"Later on when the surgery was done. I think they were conscious that they did something wrong, they ask me to take her blood for a test for Dengue after the surgery was done. This was about after 1 p.m. they ask me to rush to test the blood at this private lab. The doctor gave me the results about half hour later that she had Dengue. After the surgery was done the doctor said that the surgery was good, he said that my daughter had a little problem, she had an internal bleeding, but everything is fine. I was happy for everything that he told me at that moment, I said thank God that the surgery went good. That was Monday in the afternoon about 2 p.m. About that same time my daughter was suppose to get a blood transfusion. The doctors take from about 2 p.m. to about 7 a.m. in the night to find a vein on my daughter, she stay about 6 - 7 hours without get a drip, without the blood transfusion."
Cruz says - at that time he was then informed that the blood Melissa needed for her transfusion was frozen.
Ivan Cruz
"They said that they are going to put drip because the blood is not ready. I am talking about 7 hours already past, when they say that the blood is still ready yet."
Monica Bodden
"But why?"
Ivan Cruz
"That is a good question, why. That is what you suppose to ask those people in there, why the blood was never ready for Melissa? That's why she died."
Monica Bodden
"Did you ask them? Did you have a chance to ask anybody?"
Ivan Cruz
"I had asked them every minute and the say that the blood was frozen; It's still not ready for Melissa."
She died and it was never ready. A Post mortem conducted this morning established that she died from -Dengue Shock.
Ivan Cruz
"I want the whole country and the whole world to know about this. I want everybody to know how Melissa left this world. I don't know if they have 'poco tiempo' doctors in this place. These doctors are suppose to be sent back to school for training or get better people to work in this country because the doctors are doing stupid things in this place. I lost my daughter and I don't have anything else to say."
This father says he is not satisfied with his daughter's post mortem.
Monica Bodden
"Are you satisfied with what they are telling you right now? What the post mortem is saying?"
Ivan Cruz
"No, I am not satisfied with this. I am not happy with this. I lost my daughter."
Cruz cannot understand how the results of his daughter's first blood test did not detect Dengue.
Ivan Cruz
"On Saturday the first day when they admit Melissa they took a blood test and they say that Melissa didn't have anything. So I don't have to worry."
Today his 10 month old baby is also hospitalized with dengue. Once again - the blood test done on the toddler at the KHMH lab came back negative.
Marissa Cruz - Aunt
"We ask for the blood. He took it to the private lab. When the results from Karl Huesner was finish they stated that the baby, the next baby that we have the 10th month old doesn't have dengue. He only has a fever. The next result that came from the private lab is showing that the baby has dengue also. So we are wondering if the equipment is not working."
Five year old Melissa was an infant one student at St Ignatius Primary School. Today her principal was at the morgue - and says she is still in disbelief.
Lorene Ciego, Principal, St Ignatius Primary School
"It's a crushing moment for us and I speak on behalf of my school and my students; Melissa's classmates as well. It's just shocking, totally shocking. I got a call yesterday from her dad informing me that Melissa died and the situation is still very confusing as to the cause of her death. I was told by the father as he was told by the person at the hospital that Melissa got a surgery for appendix and lo and behold it wasn't appendix she had dengue. It's extremely crushing and it is sad to lose a little so young, so tender, just beginning life. It's heart breaking."
Ivan Cruz
"I didn't think that I would have to bury any of my kids, so I feel bad. I don't know how I will make it; I am not feeling too good. I just want this case to be solved. I just want proof what they did to my kid; I need it and believe me I will find the evidence and proof because Melissa can't left like this."
Of course, the concerns now are for the Cruz's ten month old child who is hospitalized with dengue. The family has had to return to Progresso to bury Melissa Cruz, and while they do that, two family friends will be staying by the baby bedside. Up to this evening The Ministry of Health had not issued a statement of even formally acknowledged the first death due to dengue hemorrhagic fever.
We are told the case is still being investigated and a response will be forthcoming tomorrow - which is more or less the same thing that the Director Of Health Services Michael Pitts told us when we inquired yesterday evening.
According to the statistics released by the ministry on Friday currently, 42 cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic have been diagnosed in Belize.
348 cases have been reported nationally but due to vagaries in the system of reporting -more cases may have been detected in the private healthcare system.
Still, the figures are up sharply from this time last year when there were just 180 cases - this year's 348 reflect an almost 100% increase.
http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=17354
