A West Australian boy has died from dengue fever while holidaying with his family in the Philippines.
Glenn (Oyong) Pulgadas was bitten by a mosquito on a trip to South-East Asia with his parents Ryza and Glenn Pulgadas.
The nine-year-old boy was from the small south-west WA town of Harvey, 150km south of Perth.
His family was just two weeks into what was supposed to be a five-week long holiday when he fell ill.
They are now warning travellers to take extra care following their son's tragic death.
What is dengue fever?
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease.
Symptoms can include muscle pain, rashes, high fever and bleeding.
Glenn started showing symptoms on August 12.
He deteriorated rapidly and was admitted to an intensive care unit at the Madonna and Child Hospital in the Philippines.
His family showed the ABC his medical records which described him as being "weak in appearance" and suffering from a high fever, headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting and nose bleeds.
He also experienced dengue shock syndrome which led to acute organ failure.
The nine-year-old died on August 25.
'Always had a smile'
Ms Pulgadas told the ABC her son would be sorely missed.
"Glenn was a sweet, caring, bright, bubbly, young boy who was so full of life and always had a smile on his face," she said.
At age five, Glenn dreamt of becoming a police officer.
He later changed his mind and told people he wanted to be a builder.
Before he died he expressed a desire to work at Harvey Beef, an abattoir owned by billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, just like his parents.
The Pulgadas family has lived in Australia for almost half a decade.
They have expressed interest in returning to WA despite the tragedy.
However, they said Glenn would be laid to rest in the Philippines.
Community rallies
The town of Harvey has come together to raise funds following Glenn's death.
A Go Fund Me page set up by his primary school has already notched above the $7,000 mark.
The tight-knit community has also been holding raffles, giving haircuts and hosting basketball games to raise money.
The money will be given to Glenn's parents to help with funeral arrangements and medical costs.
Filipino community leaders from the area said it was an example of how important it was to unite in times of hardship.
The outpouring of support has left Ms Pulgadas lost for words.
"For all the support they showed us — physically, emotionally, spiritually and the financial support — no words can explain how much we appreciate it, and thank you is not enough," she said.
Outbreak concerns
According to the World Health Organisation, the number of dengue fever cases has been increasing over the past two decades.
There were 505,430 cases in 2000 and more than 2.4 million in 2010.
By 2019, the number of reported infections had skyrocketed to 5.2 million.
The number of actual cases, however, is feared to be much higher, with modelling estimating the yearly figure to be closer to 390 million.
If the fever goes untreated, a person's risk of dying sits at around 20 per cent.
Filipino media outlet The Manila Times reported more than 80,000 dengue fever cases in the first seven months of this year.
The figure has more than doubled within 12 months.
The country also reportedly had more than 300 dengue fever deaths.
People were urged to search for and destroy mosquito breeding grounds, wear long-sleeve and loose clothing, seek early medical attention and use deterrent spray.
