Philippines Girl Hides Being Bitten By Stray Dog, Dies Of Rabies 2 Months Later

A 13-year-old girl in the Philippines died of rabies after she was bitten by a stray dog and kept it secret from her parents. According to Metro, Jamaica Star Seraspe had been walking home from school in Tondo District, Manila, in the Philippines when a stray dog bit her on February 9. 

Instead of telling her parents the truth, Jamaica told them that she had scratched herself on metal wire, which led them to not seek medical attention. However, two months later, she developed serious symptoms, including fever, back pain, fatigue and difficulty drinking water. She then finally told her mother Roselyn Saraspe what had happened and was rushed to San Lazaro Hospital on April 5.

Her mother said she "felt her heart being crushed" when she saw her daughter's condition rapidly deteriorate during her stay at the hospital. Nurses had to restrain her because she kept thrashing in her bed from pain, before she succumbed to the viral disease on  April 6. 

Her mother said: "I can't accept Jamaica's death. It's difficult because she was taken from us so suddenly. She told me she couldn't drink water. She said she believed she might have rabies because she was bitten by a dog in February. I asked her why she didn't tell me right away. She kept apologising. I told her I wasn't mad at her, but we could have had her checked sooner. When she asked me if she was going to die, I felt scared. I wanted to go into hysterics."

Her autopsy report showed she had died of rabies encephalitis, which is nearly always fatal by the time symptoms begin to appear.

Village authorities said the dog that had bitten Jamaica had also attacked seven other people in February. It was caught by local officials but died at the veterinary clinic eight days later. 

After the tragic incident, the teen's family warned other parents in an online post on April 18: ''To other parents, be conscious if your child is acting strange. Teach your children to take cat scratches and dog bites seriously and tell adults immediately. Rabies is not a joke. It is fatal. Please do not take it lightly, so that others can avoid what my daughter experienced. And to pet owners, please be responsible for your animals. Ensure they are vaccinated so they cannot cause harm to other people. In spite of everything, I am proud of my daughter because she tried to be brave throughout the ordeal.''

 In heartbreaking messages sent to her account, Jamaica chronicled the days before her death.She wrote: ''Actually, I know that I have rabies. I just couldn't tell Mama because I didn't want her to be disappointed. That day, my mum thought I had a UTI. But I didn't know if it was a UTI or rabies. I've done a lot of research about rabies when I was bitten on February 9. Since then, I couldn't accept that I would become rabid one day. It's too late for me to be vaccinated.''

In another set of messages written on April 5, Jamaica wrote, ''I had a hard time to breathe. I started to search on YouTube about rabid humans. Gosh, those children… They will die slowly and painfully, and the hydrophobia they were experiencing is the same as mine. I can't believe a teenager like me would experience this. If I get hospitalized, please just send me into a coma rather than being conscious in pain.''