A 13-year-old girl died after being bitten by a rabid dog in February, according to Darlene Cay’s Sunday 24 Oras Weekend report.

In a video, the victim, Jamaica, was being tied to her hospital bed as she sometimes became restless and thrashed about.

Jamaica’s mother, Roselyn Seraspe, reported that her daughter became weak and vomited upon arriving at the hospital. 

She was declared dead 12 hours after being taken to hospital. Based on the death certificate of the victim, the cause of death was rabies encephalitis.

She brought her daughter to the hospital as she had a fever and felt anxious. 

“Sabi niya, ‘Mama hindi na ako maka-inom, hirap na akong maka-inom ng tubig. Mama baka may rabies na ako.’ Doon sa narinig ko na may rabies. Sabi ko, ‘Bakit? Nakagat ka ba ng aso?’” said Roselyn.

It turned out that Jamaica had been bitten by a dog last February at the Vitas Park in Tondo. At the time, she had told her parents that she had been caught on a wire and that had caused her wound.

“Sabi ko bakit ngayon ka lang nag-sabi? Sabi niya, Mama, sorry Mama, sorry sabi niyang ganon. Sabi ko hindi naman ako magaglit sayo kung sinabi mo, dapat naagapan. ‘Ma, mamamatay na ba ako, mamamatay na ba ako?’ Doon ako kinabahan parang gusto ko nang mag-hysterical,” Roselyn said.

Barangay officials found that the dog that bit Jamaica had bitten seven others that day. A sprinting dog crashed a birthday party in Barangay 99 in Tondo on February 10.

It turned out that the dog had bitten two people at the party, Imari Loiv Retiro and her aunt.

“Nang pakaatake niya sa akin sinisipa ko na siya then pagka-sipa ko sa kaniya talagang sinusugod niya talaga ako,” said Imari.

She immediately got the wound treated, and the barangay staff was able to capture the dog. It was turned over to the Vitas Veterinary Board but died after eight days.

According to doctors, Rabies symptoms may arise days, weeks, or months later. 

If bitten, licked, or scratched by a dog, clean the wound immediately or rush to the nearest health center or hospital. The injury should not be ignored because rabies is deadly.

“Pag ang animal is infected with rabies immediately nagta-travel ang virus sa ating system. Dapat yan wina-wash yan. Ten minutes vigorously with running water. Kung mero kayong antiseptic, meron ka alcohol o meron kayong iodine, on the site, pour liberally doon sa area ng wound site,” said Dr. Juancho Bunyi, Muntinlupa City Health Officer.

Sources:(1),(2),(3)

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