I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and blamed heat stroke – it was a killer holiday virus that ‘masks itself like flu’
A British tourist who thought she got heat stroke from spending too long in the sun was diagnosed with a deadly tropical virus that disguises itself as the flu.
Serenity Tanner, 20, started to feel unwell after a day of surfing in the Philippines.
She put her symptoms down to heat stroke, but started vomiting in the middle of the night.
The 20-year-old was rushed to a local medical centre by a neighbour, as she started to hallucinate and began bleeding from her gums.
She was diagnosed with dengue fever, a viral infection spread by mosquito bites that’s most common in tropical climates.
Serenity was told that she would need to be flown by plane to the mainland for treatment and was taken to Makati Medical Centre, Manila, Philippines.
She spent 12 days in hospital battling the virus.
After being discharged, Serenity flew back to the UK on August 19, 2024, and said she is still suffering from fatigue and brain fog.
Serenity, a student, from Warminster, Wiltshire, said: “I put it down to heat stroke – I thought I had been in the sun for too long.
“Even now it has been weeks and I still feel the effects of the virus.
“I still have brain fog and feel tired all the time.
“I feel so weak, it was like I had been hit by a truck.
“I have had sepsis before and this was worse than that – it was horrendous.
“Physically I felt so weak – I was barely able to stand up.”
On Friday 19, 2024, Serenity spent the day surfing with her boyfriend, Melvin Malinao, 27, when she started to feel unwell.
Serenity put her symptoms down to heat stroke but after a few hours sleep she woke up and started vomiting.
I was getting delusions, I felt that I had rope wrapped around me. I started to bleed out of my gums and I had a fever of 41 degrees.
Serenity Tanner
She said: “I was spending time surfing and enjoying myself before I start university in September.
“After spending the day at a town on the other side of the island I started to feel really really unwell.
“I tried to have a few hours of sleep but I woke up vomiting and my fever got worse.
“The area we were staying in didn’t have a hospital so my boyfriend and I were stuck wondering what we were going to do.”
After a rough night, Serenity called an ambulance but there weren’t any available.
Luckily, their neighbour was able to drive them to the Dapa Rural Health Clinic – which was an hour and a half away from where they were staying.
Serenity said: “By the time we got there I was getting delusions, I felt that I had rope wrapped around me.
“When I got out of the car I started to bleed out of my gums and I had a fever of 41 degrees.
“The nurses gave me some IV fluid and I was waiting at least four hours to see a doctor.”
Deadly risk
Serenity called her insurance and told them about her symptoms and they told her she needed to see a doctor immediately.
She made the decision to discharge herself and go to a private health clinic 45 minutes away.
Serenity said: “We got in a tuk-tuk to this private clinic and when I got there I explained my symptoms.
“Straight away he said it was dengue fever – they told me I needed to go to a mainland hospital.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
Dengue won't always cause symptoms, according to NHS guidance.
But if you do experience some, they’ll usually come on four to 10 days after an infected mosquito bites you.
The symptoms can be similar to the flu and include:
- Fever
- Severe headache
- Pain behind the eyes
- Muscle and joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Widespread rash
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
There is no cure or specific treatment.
Patients can relieve their symptoms via painkillers, staying hydrated and resting.
In rare cases, dengue symptoms can develop into severe dengue.
Elderly patients, or those with other medical conditions, are most at risk.
Severe dengue fever symptoms can include:
- Severe skin bleeding with spots of blood on and under the skin
- Blood in the urine and stools
- Respiratory distress – when the lungs cannot provide the vital organs with enough oxygen
- Organ failure
- Changes in mental state and unconsciousness
- Dangerously low blood pressure
You should call 999 or go to A&E if you experience any of the severe symptoms.
“I was at risk of internal bleeding and they didn’t have the facilities for me.
“At this point, it was 6pm, I contacted my insurance but they couldn’t do an air ambulance at night.
“The clinic couldn’t admit me as they weren’t open to admissions at night.
“I made the decision to go home and wait for the morning to go to the mainland.”
I have brain fog and I feel tired all the time, I never realised how awful dengue is
Serenity Tanner
The next day, on July 21, 2024, Serenity was picked up by an ambulance and taken to Siargao Airport where a plane flew her to Makati Medical Centre, Manila.
Once she arrived, she was taken to a ward and given an x-ray, had a blood test and put on an IV.
Serenity said: “Because it is a virus there is not much they can do to tackle it but they can try to manage the symptoms.
“I had a really high fever for nine days and I couldn’t eat for 10 days.
“Three days before I was discharged I started to have acute liver failure and they gave me IV medication to improve my liver function.”
Lingering symptoms
After 12 days in hospital, Serenity was discharged on August 1, 2024, but said she was still “very weak”.
She said: “I still felt so weak, it was like I had been hit by a truck.
“I couldn’t even stand up in the shower until the day I was discharged.
“I surfed a lot on the island and I tried to surf after I was discharged and I couldn’t – I thought I was going to faint.”
How to protect yourself against dengue
THOUGH dengue is more common in tropical regions, it has been spotted in places closer to the UK.
According to the NHS, they include:
- Croatia
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal and Madeira
There isn’t a vaccine available in the UK that you can have to prevent dengue before travelling to a country where there’s a risk of infection.
But there are certain measures you can take to avoid bitten by mosquitoes with dengue.
- Wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, particularly during early morning and early evening
- Use insect repellent on your skin (ideally one that contains the ingredient DEET)
- Close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens
- Sleep under a mosquito net treated with insecticide, including during the day
Serenity flew back to the UK on August 19, 2024, and said she is still feeling the effects of dengue fever a month after her diagnosis.
She said: “It has been weeks and I still feel rough.
“I have brain fog and I feel tired all the time, I never realised how awful dengue is.
“It has been a month since I was diagnosed and I am still feeling the effects.”