13-year-old girl in the Philippines dies of rabies, was tied to hospital bed

Teenage girl in the Philippines tied to hospital bed hours before death

13-year-old Jamaica Star Seraspe was tied to her hospital bed hours before dying of rabies in Manila, Philippines on 6 April.

Jamaica, a student in 7th Grade, was sent to San Lazaro Hospital on 5 April after showing symptoms of rabies.

Due to her agitation, medical staff in protective gear had to restrain her to a hospital bed. She died 12 hours later.

“Remember that I love you very much. All of us love you. Remember that,” her mother, Roselyn Seraspe, said as she took a video of her child being tied down.

“Why didn’t you tell us? You know that it’s dangerous,” Roselyn also added.

Scared to disappoint mum

According to One PH report, Roselyn revealed that Jamaica did not inform her parents about being bitten by a dog. The incident occurred two months prior on February 9 at a local park.

When asked about her wound, Jamaica had told her mum that she simply scraped herself on a wire. Her mum suggested she get an anti-tetanus shot, but the teen dismissed the idea.

Before she died, the 13-year-old girl had left text messages explaining her side of the story.

“Actually, I already knew I had rabies. It’s just that I couldn’t tell my mum because I don’t want her to be disappointed,” she wrote.

A screenshot on her phone shows that the teenage girl had researched about rabies.

“I couldn’t accept that I would become rabid someday and it was too late to get a vaccine so I kept it a secret,” she added.

Puppy said to have caused rabies caught

Meanwhile, community officials captured the puppy believed to have bitten Jamaica.

They stated that the puppy had bitten several people around the same time as Jamaica.

According to a One Ph report, the victims include a 6-year-old boy who was promptly sent to the hospital.

The puppy passed away seven days after being captured.

Mum spreads awareness about rabies

Roselyn addressed other parents in her Facebook post and urged people to share her post to spread awareness about rabies.

“To parents, be conscious if your kids are acting strange. Teach them not to ignore bites and scratches from dogs and cats,” she wrote.

“Despite everything, my daughter is amazing for being brave enough to document her experience. She would want to share this with other people,” Roselyn added.