Mother and newborn both claimed by cengue just two days before birth

A tragic incident has been reported from Wadduwa, where a mother lost her life along with her unborn child just two days before she was due to give birth.

The deceased has been identified as K. Dilani Fernando, 34, of Catherine Mawatha, Wadduwa, who died along with her newborn baby.

An open verdict has been recorded regarding her death, and relatives say a blood test revealed she had contracted dengue before she passed away.

Relatives said she developed a fever July 24 and recovered after taking two painkiller tablets, but was later admitted to a private hospital due to constipation, and her condition had improved following treatment.

The private hospital, which had been overseeing her pregnancy from the early months, had scheduled her for delivery via caesarean section, and it was during the tests conducted for this that she was found to have contracted dengue.

As the hospital's intensive care unit had no available beds, her relatives had taken her to a government maternity hospital.

The hospital have said that at that point it was already very late, and while she was receiving treatment in its intensive care unit, the baby died the following day on July 28, and the mother passed away on the evening of July 29, relatives said quoting hospital information.

Dilani Gunawardena, sister of the deceased Dilani's husband, spoke about her sister-in-law, saying:
"Our village is Minuwangoda, Gampaha. Dilani is married to my younger brother, Isuru Gunawardena (42). My brother works as an air traffic controller. When he travels abroad from time to time, he brings phones to sell in shops. My sister-in-law was very successful in business. She runs a phone shop in Wadduwa town. My brother had gone to that shop to supply phones, and the two of them got to know each other and became close, married about two years ago. They lived together very happily and lovingly.

About three months before this, our sister-in-law had lost a baby she was expecting. She had a growth in her womb. She had it removed after consulting a doctor at a private hospital. After that, throughout this pregnancy, she had been seeing that same doctor regularly. Both mother and baby had remained in good health right up until this point.

They were hoping to have the baby delivered by caesarean at that same hospital. They had been told both mother and baby were in good health. It was three or four days before that date that she developed a fever. But it wasn't considered anything serious. She had continued eating and drinking well and carrying on with her usual routine as normal.

However, she was admitted to hospital because she was having difficulty in passing stool. In the end, though, we lost both mother and baby. The baby was only handed over to us after being sent to the judicial medical officer. He was a very beautiful boy. Now, seeing mother and baby like this, we don't know how we are to bear this."

The deceased woman's husband, Isuru Gunawardena, said the doctors had made a great effort to save his wife and child.

He said he had witnessed this with his own eyes, adding with emotion: "This must have been our misfortune."

As the bodies of the deceased mother, with her baby placed at her feet, lay at their home, neighbours continued visiting to pay their final respects, many moved to tears.