Dengue Voices

This story represents one person's experience with dengue disease. It is important to talk with your doctor if you are experiencing any symptoms that could be dengue disease. Dengue symptoms vary and are often unnoticeable or mild.

Each year, there are approximately 400 million dengue infections, and around 40,000 deaths reported.¹ Fatalities are rare in the context of dengue disease outcomes. Early detection, prevention, and community awareness are key to reducing severe dengue infection which occurs in approximately 1 in 20 of those who experience dengue symptoms.²

I remember the day <my son> Bob went traveling on the 6th of September in 2016. We had investigated all the medical precautions he needed for his trip to Southeast Asia. He was excited, and we thought everything would be fine because he took all the necessary precautions. Bob loved Vietnam, and he kept in touch with us every day through video messages. He mentioned feeling a bit off, but we thought it was just the climate.

Bob traveled to Thailand to meet another friend in Bangkok, but he didn't like the city much. He preferred rural areas with rivers, nature and such. Eventually, he went to Laos. On the 13th of November, I hadn't heard from Bob, which was unusual. He called me at work the next day, saying he hadn't eaten and felt disoriented. At one point he even lost his wallet and then the police had to give it back to him. When he was telling me this, I was asking him to just come home.

On 30th of November, he then had taken himself to a local hospital in Patong, Thailand, because he felt so unwell. They gave him some oral medication and told him to come back if he didn't feel better in two days.

Bob's condition worsened, and he couldn't keep anything down. He had neck pain, really high fever, severe joint pain.

I’d looked at some photos and he had lost so much weight… He went back to the hospital on the 2nd of December, but we couldn't get in touch with him. We called hospitals, we emailed them giving the description of Bob trying to find him. On the 3rd, he called to say he was being transferred to a government hospital in Phuket because he couldn't breathe well, and that they were going to intubate him.

I told him I was on my way to him… That was the last time we spoke.

When he phoned me that day it really hurt because I lied to him, I said I was on my way, but I wasn’t because my passport was out of date, so I was trying to get an emergency passport, but these things take days.

They were transferring Bob, and he had numerous heart attacks in the ambulance and went into a coma. My eldest son went out to be with him, but Bob passed away on the 7th, and I got my passport that night and just flew there.

The doctors were frantic, not knowing what was wrong. They made my eldest wear special gowns to see him. Eventually, we were told he had severe hemorrhagic dengue fever, which led to organ failure.

He went from being an active 21-year-old boy to all of that in a week…

After Bob's death, I needed to understand what dengue fever was and find others who had gone through similar experiences. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I’ve gone through. I needed to find somebody that was like me. So, I researched, learned everything I could about this disease, connected with non-profit organizations... I even traveled to Vietnam to see the places Bob had visited. I wanted to see everything he saw with my own eyes. I stayed where he stayed, and had my picture taken with the same clothes to really get close to him.

Then I decided to spread Bob’s story. I started telling travelers about dengue fever, hoping to raise awareness.

Many people had never heard of it, just like us. All these travelers I met are not going to find out by themselves. I can’t save the world but if I could just keep spreading this message and alerting travelers...

I joined social media, created a website, and started working with local authorities. I became an advocate for my son by spreading the word about dengue. I hope to give talks in universities and schools next year. This mission drives me forward, and I can't stop. I want to keep Bob's story alive and help others avoid the same fate. I am trying to find every avenue I can to get it out there. All of this is new to me, so I am trying to raise my voice. We’ve got one thing that is ours and money can’t buy: our voice. And that is what I’m doing, and everyone in this project. It’s a powerful tool and you just need to use it.