Preliminary findings reveal Berbice siblings died from dengue complications

Preliminary findings indicate that Berbice siblings, 10-year-old Vishnu Mohabeer, known as Ricardo, and his 9-year-old sister Arianna Mohabeer, succumbed to complications related to dengue fever.

This was revealed by Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony on Friday.

Dr Anthony told the News Room that post-mortem examinations were performed on both children.

“We are getting the results of those post mortem but from the preliminary assessment it looks like both of these children died from complications of dengue,” Dr Anthony disclosed.

Vishnu died on Sunday April 14; he was brought to the New Amsterdam Hospital with no signs of life. His sister was admitted at the hospital on April 15 in a critical condition.

Tragically, despite efforts to transfer her to the Georgetown Public Hospital, she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in the Intensive Care Unit on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Health has dispatched an expert team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the siblings’ deaths, ensuring that all protocols were followed.

On Friday, Dr. Anthony emphasized the challenge in managing dengue complications.
“With complications of dengue, sometimes it in problematic with how we manage these patients,” Dr Anthony said.

He also revealed that for the year thus far, in Region Six alone, 100 cases of dengue were recorded.

“Most of them are mild but you do have on occasion, complicated cases and unfortunately these two children had complications.”

The Health Minister also highlighted ongoing efforts to control mosquitoes through fogging and the use of Abate to prevent breeding sites in stagnant water.

“Dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes, what we have to do is to make sure we control the mosquitoes which is something that we have doing.”

Meanwhile, he urged the public to assist in clearing stagnant water and stressed the importance of seeking medical attention for fevers, as dengue symptoms can escalate rapidly.

As there is no specific treatment for dengue, symptomatic treatment is administered. Dr. Anthony further underscored the necessity of seeking medical assistance for fevers because “If you stay at home and think it is a benign fever and then it is something more than that, it can lead to problems.”