Possible victim of dengue passes away

evondale young

Early this morning another victim is believed to have succumbed to dengue fever. The thirty-one year old Belize City man, according to the family, was tested at public facilities but the fever was not detected. He was hospitalized, kept under observation and slipped into a coma. The family ran tests at a private lab which were positive but it was too late. They got the sad news today and are in grief. News Five’s Delahnie Bain has a report.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

In Mid July, five year old Melissa Cruz, became the first casualty of dengue. She passed away in the midst of speculation that dengue, which is endemic to Belize, had reached epidemic proportions with around three hundred and fifty recorded cases. The Ministry of Health, however, insisted that the situation was not as bad as it seems.

Dr. Jose Marenco, Dir. Environmental Health Programs (July 15^th)

dr jose marenco

“There’s no such thing as an outbreak throughout the country of Belize.  We do have increased number of cases in Cayo District and Belize District.  So this is basically the situation.  The other districts are pretty much on what is expected for this time of year.”

Early this morning, another victim, thirty-one year old Evondale Young, succumbed to dengue hemorrhagic fever. The family feels that if the situation had been taken more seriously, Young’s life could have been saved.

Florett Slusher, Mother of Evondale Young

“He start with the fever on Monday and then he went to the Matron Roberts Clinic. He didn’t know he had dengue, he went there to get tested or to let them see. They gave him injection and medication and sent him back home. The fever went for a while and then he went back to the K.H.M.H. and they kept him there for observation. They took x-ray and they did nothing else for him, they just keep him there.”

According to Florett Slusher, the treatment didn’t come until her son slipped into a coma.

florett slusher

Florett Slusher

“They took him out, induced another coma into him, put in tubes and ventilators and things like that to keep him breathing. Well this morning they called us and say that they need somebody at the hospital. The daddy went there and they told him he was dead. If I had known that my son was in the state of having this dengue hemorrhagic fever, I would have taken him to either [Medical] Associates or Universal [BHPL] so that he could have gotten tested immediately rather than just keeping him here at the K.H.M.H. and just using him as a specimen for observation.”

Slusher also noted that while tests were done at the K.H.M.H., the dengue wasn’t detected until they had Young retested at a private facility.

Florett Slusher

“They keep him there, run two test; the test they came negative. They didn’t come out positive, they said negative. They took x-ray and x-ray and x-ray. Then when we went there when my son went into coma they called me and I went there and when I went there—my sister went there before me and my sister took the blood specimen cause they said they wanted a private one. So she took it to medical Associates and when she brought it back it was positive for the both dengue cause they said that they have two types of dengue.”

But going back to whether or not we’re facing an epidemic; News Five has been seeking an answer from the Ministry of Health for the past weeks to no avail. After witnessing it first hand, Young’s family believes it is an epidemic and so do the private doctors.

Florett Slusher

“The doctor said that it wasn’t but from then I told my husband, it is an epidemic I said because if people are dying or people are getting it—cause more people are getting only because they are not dying. Some of are not dying but the crowd that is getting it, I feel that it’s an epidemic.”

Dr. Victor Rosado, Pediatrician (July 20^th)

“Right now if we are seeing three hundred and seventy-nine reported cases for the first seven months of the year, definitely that is far above what we would expect and that would constitute an epidemic—speaking from a public health point of view. When you talk about an outbreak, you are talking about an increase in a number of cases in a very localized geographic area.

Slusher now prepares to lay her son to rest and says she is being strong for the rest of the family.

Florett Slusher

“I hold on to the strength of other mothers weh lose their children to gun violence. Dat dah weh hold me because I seh if my son mi get death like dat maybe I couldn’t hold it because yoh know when your child walk out deh and somebody gun ah down dat hurt yoh bad. So I seh if dehn could live through it then I could too. Dat dah weh give me di strength too long wid mi God.”

And while his mother holds on to her faith, Young’s common-law-wife and four children are now left with only memories after his sudden passing. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

Young’s funeral arrangements are being finalized.