Pregnant influencer Sofia Amorim, 22, dies from dengue fever days after complaining of ‘being short of breath’
A PREGNANT beauty blogger and her unborn baby have died from dengue fever.
Influencer Sofia Amorim, 22, was seven months into her pregnancy when she died from multiple organ failure in Brazil.
She died last Wednesday in her hometown Goiania, in the mid-west of the country.
Pals say Sofia, who had been sharing snaps of her baby bump with her followers, had earlier complained of being short of breath.
One friend, who preferred not been named, according to local media, explained: “She was very short of breath, so they thought it was anxiety.
“On Tuesday afternoon, they found out it was dengue and went to ‘listen’ to her lungs. They were full of water. At around 10pm, they had to intubate her.”
They added: “The baby had already died in her belly in the early hours of the morning, they didn’t deliver her immediately because her platelets were very low, and she could have lost too much blood.
“The cesarean section was the last resort to try to save her life.”
Local media said that she had begun to feel ill last Friday and just four days later medics confirmed she had contracted dengue fever.
The virus is a major health concern all over South and Central America.
Brazil’s Goias State Department of Health says there are currently 72,747 confirmed cases of dengue fever, a massive 257 per cent increase from last year.
The fever is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and is the world’s most deadly bug spread to people by insects, according to experts.
Dengue fever: symptoms
Dengue does not always cause symptoms, according to the NHS website. But if you do, they usually start 4 to 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Some dengue symptoms are similar to flu. They include:
- a high temperature
- a severe headache
- pain behind your eyes
- muscle and joint pain
- feeling or being sick
- swollen glands
- a blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots – this can affect large areas of your body
You should ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you feel unwell after travelling to a country where dengue is found.