A 22-year-old man has died from the haemorrhagic form of the mosquito-borne disease, dengue fever.
Onika Thompson, mother of the now-deceased Karon Thompson, spoke with Stabroek News on Friday and detailed the experience.
She stated that her son first became infected last year while she was away in Barbados and he received treatment, however, he fell ill once again. On Wednesday, June 5, he complained of back pain and was vomiting uncontrollably. His mother took him to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre on Friday after noticing that he was not getting any better.
“We took him to Diamond Hospital on Friday, and they gave him an injection,” she related. She was not allowed to enter the room where he was taken to receive the injection. “When I tried to enter the room with him, they said they only want Karon inside.”
Following the injection, he was made to wait an hour for a doctor to come on duty to do a follow-up. After the hour had passed, the doctor came and followed up with his case. They then drew his blood to conduct a test. This was where his mother related that the doctor indicated to her that something had gone up. “They were not saying what it was; they just said something went up, and eventually, they gave him saline.” Thompson said that she was told nothing by the doctors about the blood test results.
On Saturday around 4:30, she said her son was making his way down to the restroom when he slipped and fell. She picked him up and placed him on a couch to lie down and relax. However, later during the day, around 1 pm, with no sign of him getting any relief, she decided to return to the hospital, this time taking him to the Woodlands Hospital, where he received treatment. Another blood test and an X-ray were done, and it showed that he had dengue. The X-ray also showed he had a pinched nerve in his spine, which explained the back pain.
He was given vitamins and medications, and it was recommended that after completing the treatment, he return for an MRI scan. She related that he felt some relief after visiting the Woodlands Hospital. “He was talking, and he even spoke with family overseas. He then drank a Vitamalt and eventually came upstairs.”
On Sunday, at around 4:30 pm, Karon’s girlfriend called out to her that something was wrong with her son. Upon entering the room, she noticed that he was not able to speak, and words were not coming out of his mouth clearly. “He started sticking up his finger as if he was having a stroke.” Alarmed by this, she rushed him to the Diamond Hospital as it was closest to where they live, not wanting to risk bringing him to town before it was too late.
“The nurse at Diamond checked his vitals and pulse, and they were not getting any.” She related that given the severity of the situation, she expected that he would be treated quicker, but this was not the case. “The doctor passed straight and did not check him.” Thompson, who also provides care for the elderly, recognised that her son was going into shock, and raised an alarm. Eventually, the doctor came and drew more blood for testing. “They asked him why he was behaving like this and if he smokes.” Thompson, annoyed at this line of questioning, responded, “No, he does not smoke or pop any molly (a drug) or anything.” After they drew the blood, his oxygen levels started to deplete.
“The doctor and nurses left us with him for about 5 minutes. When they returned, his oxygen level was so low this caused him to pass out. They did not get any heartbeat, and then they rushed to find oxygen and start to do CPR.” However, it was already too late.
When asked about the results of the post-mortem examination, she shared that the cause of death was stated as dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Now left to grieve the loss of her son, Thompson said the Ministry of Health needs to take these cases more seriously and inform the nation on how to better prepare themselves and their families. “They need to educate the nation, put things in place.”
Stabroek News visited the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, and spoke to Medical Superintendent Veronica Griffith, who disclosed that the hospital is monitoring cases of dengue, however, she was not aware of any deaths caused by the mosquito-borne disease occurring at the hospital. She assured that the matter will be investigated now that it was being brought to her attention.
Dengue has been a serious issue plaguing Guyana and various parts of the Caribbean.
