A Wiltshire student who thought she had heat stroke was diagnosed with a deadly tropical virus and taken to hospital.
Serenity Tanner, 20, spent 12 days in hospital in Manila after being struck down with Dengue fever, which is passed to humans from mosquitos.
Several countries have issued warnings about the disease amid a spread in the mosquitos which carry it.
Serenity, from Warminster, was spending time in the Philippines with her boyfriend Melvin Malinao, 27, surfing and enjoying life before starting university in September.
Originally, she put her symptoms down to heat stroke but after a few hours sleep she woke up and started vomiting.
She was taken to a local medical centre by a neighbour and she was diagnosed with dengue fever.
Serenity was told she would need to be flown by plane to the mainland for treatment and was taken to the Makati Medical Centre in Manila.
After 12 days in hospital, Serenity was discharged on Thursday, August 1 but said she was still "very weak".
Serenity said: "I put it down to heat stroke - I thought I had been in the sun for too long.
"Even now it has been weeks and I still feel the effects of the virus. I still have brain fog and feel tired all the time."
On Friday, July 19 Serenity spent the day surfing with Melvin when she started to feel unwell.
"I tried to have a few hours of sleep but I woke up vomiting and my fever got worse.
"The area we were staying in didn't have a hospital so my boyfriend and I were stuck wondering what we were going to do"
After a rough night, Serenity called an ambulance but there weren't any available.
Luckily, their neighbour was able to drive them to the Dapa Rural Health Clinic - which was 90 minutes from where they were staying.
Serenity said: "By the time we got there I was getting delusions, I felt that I had rope wrapped around me.
"When I got out of the car I started to bleed out of my gums and I had a fever of 41 degrees.
"The nurses gave me some IV fluid and I was waiting at least four hours to see a doctor."
After giving her symptoms to her insurance company, they told her she needed to see a doctor immediately. She decided to discharge herself and go to a private health clinic 45 minutes away.
Serenity said: "We got in a tuk-tuk to this private clinic and when I got there I explained my symptoms.
"Straight away he said it was dengue fever - they told me I needed to go to a mainland hospital.
"I was at risk of internal bleeding and they didn't have the facilities for me."
On Sunday, July 21 Serenity was taken by ambulance to Siargao Airport where a plane flew her to Makati Medical Centre, Manila.
Once she arrived, she was taken to a ward and given an x-ray, had a blood test and put on an IV.
Serenity said: "I had a really high fever for nine days and I couldn't eat for 10 days.
"Three days before I was discharged I started to have acute liver failure and they gave me IV medication to improve my liver function."
Serenity flew back to the UK on Monday, August 19 and said: "It has been weeks and I still feel rough.
"I have brain fog and I feel tired all the time, I never realised how awful dengue is.
"It has been a month since I was diagnosed and I am still feeling the effects."
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