Girl, 9, tests positive for dengue

Rebecca Ramoutar’s parents are now blaming her condition on the lack of spraying in the area and are pleading with Insect Vector officials to spray the Princes Town area immediately.

Ramoutar, a Standard Two student of Iere Village Primary School, was taken to the hospital by her parents, on Tuesday, when her condition worsened.

Her mother, Tara Ramoutar, of Naparima Main Road, Princes Town, said three weeks ago her daughter began vomiting and lost her appetite.

“I was so scared I did not know what to do when this started happening to my baby. I cannot afford to carry her to a nursing home,” Ramoutar said.

Within the week, the other symptoms of dengue followed.

“After the vomiting, she had this high fever and pains all about her body.” Ramoutar said.

She said it was only when Rebecca’s temperature continued to rise and she was still vomiting that they took her to the hospital.

“I know it was serious because of the fever, and because of what was read on papers sometime ago about the children who died after being diagnosed with dengue. I did not want to take any chances.” she said.

Ramoutar said she first took Rebecca to the Princes Town District Health Facility where doctors said she had a “cold and a fever.”

“They told me is just a cold and fever and she will recover. And tablets were pescribed to her. But she was getting worse and I just knew this could not only be a cold and fever.”she said. Ramoutar said they then decided to take their daughter to San Fernando General Hospital when they got the news that Rebecca had dengue. She said it came as a shock.

“I cried so much, because I knew what happened to the other children who died and I don’t what Rebecca to suffer the same fate,” she said

She questioned why officials at the Princes Town District Health Facility did not detect her daughter’s condition, initially.

“Why didn’t they take the blood samples and tell me right away what Rebecca was suffering from? She might have recovered by that time,” Ramoutar said.

At present, Rebecca is unable to eat and is hooked up to drips at the hospital.

“She lost a lot of weight and is very weak. But I am thankful for the way the nurses and doctors are treating her here. All I can do now is pray,” her mother said.

A pastor also visited the family at hospital and offered prayers for the girl’s full recovery. When contacted, an official at the Insect Vector Control unit in the Princes Town area could not say whether the area had been sprayed.

“I cannot say if the area was sprayed or not .I would not be able to confirm if spraying was done or not by our inspectors.”