BY CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City – The second year high school student of Victorias National High School who recently died may have been a victim of dengue and not by her classmate’s perfume.
The 15-year-old Aira Verdajo of Hacienda Yawi, Barangay 13, Victorias City had skin rashes, said Josephine Martinez, class adviser.
It was previously believed that Verdajo collapsed after inhaling a classmate’s perfume.
She was rushed to the Ikaayong Lawas Foundation for medication, regained consciousness and was taken home.
But at home, she again collapsed.
Verdajo was taken to the Teresita Jalandoni Memorial Provincial Hospital in Silay City where doctors declared her dead.
Her death certificate indicated she died of cardiac arrest.
Prior to her death, Verdajo was absent for a week due to fever, said Martinez.
She reported to class only on June 30.
The student’s parents failed to bring her to the doctor when she was sick, lamented the teacher.
Dengue, previously considered a rainy-season disease, is now a year-round threat, according to the Department of Health.
It is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains, and rashes.
Aedes egypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the vectors of dengue, live and breed in clear, stagnant water.
The classic dengue fever lasts about six to seven days, with a smaller peak of fever at the trailing end of the disease. Clinically, the platelet count will drop.
Patients may also suffer from gastritis with some combination of associated abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Some cases lead to dengue shock syndrome which has a high mortality rate./PN
