‘Latty survived the hurricane, but not the mud’

On his 68th birthday, Roderick ‘Latty’ Brissett felt only a little feverish. By the fourth day, the man who seldom got sick slipped away, taken by leptospirosis after the storm.

Brissett ran every morning. Even as a sexagenarian, he woke before dawn, laced up his shoes and pushed his body with the energy of a man half his age. On evenings, he played football; on weekends, he worked on the dream home he was months away from completing on his family land in Seaview, Hopewell, Hanover.

He had survived Hurricane Melissa’s fury. But he did not survive what it left behind.

In the days after the storm, as Catherine Hall and Westgreen sat smothered in thick, contaminated mud, Latty went out to help clear debris for the company he worked with. Floodwaters had swept mud, sewage, garbage and rats into every crevice of the communities.

His uncle, Andrew Brissett, still cannot believe that decision possibly cost him his life.

“Latty run every day, play ball every day. Never sick,” he said quietly. “He went through the hurricane and survived. Is the clean-up kill him.”

Latty fell ill on November 8, his birthday.

“He thought it was the flu,” Andrew recalled. “Headache, fever. Nothing alarming.”

But the symptoms escalated fast.

“The pain moved down into him back. The body start poison,” he said.

By the third day, Latty could not walk. His uncle had to lift him, place him in a wheelchair, help him to the bathroom, a sight none of them thought they would ever witness. On the fourth day, he was gone.

Doctors confirmed what the family feared: Latty had died from leptospirosis, possibly contracted while helping to clean the post-hurricane muddy waters. He had on sandals while cleaning, no protection of water boots. It is unclear whether or not he wore gloves.

EXPOSURE TO LEPTOSPIROSIS

Leptospirosis is typically transmitted through exposure to urine or bodily fluids from infected animals by various means, including contact with water or wet soil.

Last week, the health ministry declared a leptospirosis outbreak, noting that there were six suspected deaths. Nine cases of the disease have been confirmed, and there are 28 suspected or probable cases between October 30 and November 20. Eight parishes have confirmed and/or suspected cases – St Ann, St Mary, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, St Catherine and Trelawny.

Latty leaves behind six children, a lifetime of community friendships, and a dream home that needed only flooring and fixtures.

“He was proud, man,” Andrew said. “The house right below mine; he was finishing it.”

The loss has shaken the family deeply.

“It affect all of us. My sister can’t stop cry,” he murmured. “It really shake we.”

Even as Latty’s relatives tried to absorb their grief, another tragedy emerged from what residents believed was the clean-up efforts without proper clothing and sanitation.

A 27-year-old man, who had also been helping neighbours clean mud from their yards and drains, died days after the storm, his symptoms eerily similar.

A man close to him said he first complained of weakness.

“Him seh him feel like flu coming on,” he said.

“By the time him reach hospital, it did too late,” he whispered. “Young, young boy. Only 27. We feel it.”

Catherine Hall, Westgreen and surrounding districts were among the worst hit when the Barnett, Pye and Montego rivers exploded their banks on October 28. Residents say the mud brought with it rats, sewage overflow and blocked drains, creating the perfect breeding ground for disease.

At a meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation two weeks ago, a resident of Westgreen Meadows stood and declared: “Rats everywhere. We can’t live so.”

Latty’s death, one of the earliest confirmed, has become a haunting symbol of how quickly the disease can take hold.

Brissett believes his uncle’s life might have been saved if the public had been warned of the outbreak and advised of precautions sooner.

“If he knew, he would’ve taken extra precaution. Penicillin could’ve saved him if it start early,” he stated, noting that friends from his alma mater, who are now medical doctors, told him early detection is the key.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com