Mayor’s son, teen share dengue survival stories
Even if they differ in age and social status, both Mikel Rama and Marieziel Mendez share a common weakness for dengue.
Mikel, the 26-year-old lawyer son of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, had been infected with dengue thrice while the 15-year-old Mendez was afflicted with dengue twice.
“Good for us we have the privilege of being able to afford medical care. We’re not hesitant to go to a hospital,” Mikel told Cebu Daily News.
At the first sign of dengue, he said, his family would drive him to the hospital for a Complete Blood Count (CBC) test.
Dr. Lee James Maratas, head of the pediatrics ward of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), said their CBC test costs P70 while private hospitals charge P150 to P200 for the test.
The young Rama said he was first diagnosed with the illness when he was 7 or 8 years old.
His recent diagnosis was on January this year during the Sinulog festival. He said his last dengue ailment in a private hospital in Cebu City was the most agonizing experience he had. He was confined for a week.
“I lost appetite; I had high fever at 40 degrees Celsius,” he said. Rama said he was thankful his condition didn’t worsen.
He said his parents took turns caring for him and even celebrated his birthday at the hospital.
He said he wondered why he was often diagnosed with dengue when he a healthy lifestyle, a pattern he suspected may be due to a weak immune system.
But Maratas said it’s the opposite.
“Healthy people are more often vulnerable to dengue than malnourished people,” he said.
Rama said while his father was never diagnosed with dengue, his mother got sick with dengue during her youth.
Mikel said there used to be an unsealed rain catchment system at home in barangay Guadalupe, where he lives with his mother.
Recently, they had the rain catchment system sealed to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
“Hopefully, the place is already safe,” he said.
Marieziel was less fortunate. She got sick with dengue while staying in their house near a river in Sapangdaku, Cebu City.
She was admitted in CCMC last Tuesday and was released three days after.
Her mother and elder sister complained that their area has a lot of mosquitoes.
Marieziel’s parents spent P2,000 for medicines which were not available in the CCMC pharmacy.
Nevertheless, Marieziel’s mother said they are satisfied with the hospital’s services since it is “poor-friendly.”
“The processing is also fast,” she said.
Mikel agreed, saying his nurse friends who worked in CCMC have noted an improvement in services.
Mayor Rama supports the continued operation of CCMC, where blood tests and treatment for dengue victims is free
Mikel cautioned parents not to be complacent if they observe symptoms of dengue in their children.
“If there’s a prolonged fever, one should undergo CBC tests to make sure the number of platelets is stable,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Vigilance and prevention is important because there’s no cure for dengue. A patient’s fluid intake has to be constantly monitored, and in serious cases, a blood transfusion may be needed
