Today the post mortem was conducted on 12 year old Sabrina Almendarez. As we reported, the child died on Friday morning in Independence Village. Her family says that she started getting sick on Monday after getting a tetanus shot on Monday at Independence Primary School. The family says that she became ill with fever and headache and on Friday morning at 4:30, her father found her motionless in bed. She was dead and the family believes that one of the things that could have triggered it is the tetanus shot.
Today, a major piece of that puzzle was filled in when Dr. Hugh Sanchez conducted a post mortem examination on the girl in Belize City.
During the examination, the family's attorney Audrey Matura Shepherd addressed the media:
Audrey Matura-Shepherd, Attorney for Almendarez Family
"The family does not know what caused the death of their daughter. They have never said publicly or privately that they can say that it is the shot that killed her. When they were interviewed by certain health personnel, they asked to give a tracing of what happened in the days before her death. And one of the things they recalled happened was that she did receive a vaccine for tetanus. We don't know if that is the cause of death. As we speak, the postmortem is being conducted by Dr. Hugh Sanchez. The reason the family asked for Dr. Hugh Sanchez is because he is a pathologist, they want him to take specimens. He is an expert in that area and at the end of the day, all the family really wants to know is what killed their child."
"One of the things they want to convey to the media and the public at large is that nothing that can be done can bring back their daughter. All they want is that peace of mind that they know why she died and if it happens to be as a result of the tetanus injection and some protocol not followed, so that the situation of their daughter can be used to ensure that it never happens again. There are not crying for blood. All they are asking for is closure and a peace of mind."
At news time, the post-mortem had still not been completed, and the death certificate was still being processed.
Email
Print