It was, reportedly, a ruptured aneurysm that caused his death. The youngest victim of the Covid 19 virus in Mauritius, Jibran Ally Chataroo, was supposed to celebrate his 17th birthday on 3rd March. His funeral was conducted by the Al-Ihsaan Centre and he was buried in the Riche-Terre cemetery.
First signs
As of Tuesday 08 February, the young Jibran was still doing well. He went to class as usual at Sir Abdool Razack Mohammed SSS. It was in the early evening that his health began to deteriorate and the drama began for the Chataroo family. Jibran confided to his father, Nawshad, that he was suffering from extreme and unbearable headaches. Living in Plaine Verte, his father brought him to Jeetoo Hospital, the same hospital where his late mother worked. She has passed away from cancer two years earlier.
Surprise and Admission
Surprise at the Rapid Atigen Test, it was Nawshad, the father who was tested positive but Jibran was negative. The teenager had been vaccinated twice with Pfizer, the last dose being in November 2021. He had no specific conditions or co-morbidities. Nawshad, asymptomatic, was ordered to observe self-isolation. On Wednesday, Jibran did not go to school as he was still a little unwell. But in the evening, his condition worsened and he had a seizure, close to an epileptic fit. He was rushed to Jeetoo Hospital, where he was tested positive this time.
A second seizure
Admitted to Jeetoo Hospital, he reportedly had a second seizure similar to the one on Friday 11 February. He was transferred to New ENT Hospital, where his condition deteriorated to the point where he needed to be put on a ventilator. He has since shown no signs of improvement. The hospital sent news of his death to his father Naushad on the morning of Saturday 12 February, attributing his death to a ruptured aneurysm and the Covid 19 virus. The results did not indicate the identity of a possible variant or sub-variant of the virus that weakened him.
Sadness, incomprehension and fear
After testing positive, his funeral was held at the Al Ihsaan centre on Saturday. Jibran’s death left his two little sisters, but especially Nawshad, devastated. The last memory he will have of his son is as an intubated patient through the window of the Isolation Room at Jeetoo Hospital during the early afternoon of Friday 11th February just before his transfer to ENT Hospital in Vacoas. The family is inconsolable. His classmates are sad and have flooded the networks with messages of support, but are confused as to whether Jibran contracted the virus at school and whether there are other cases among the other students in his class and school.
