Kuala Koh: 3 more cases of breathing difficulties reported among Orang Asli

Three more new cases of respiratory illness were reported among the Bateq tribe in Kampung Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, Kelantan.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said two of the victims, an 11-year-old girl and 24-year-old woman were found suffering from the symptom on June 20 and were now treated at an isolation ward of Kuala Krai Hospital in Kelantan.

“Another case was detected on June 21 (yesterday) involving an 18-year-old teenage girl who was treated at the isolation ward in Gua Musang Hospital.

"The three patients are in stable condition. The three bring the cumulative number of cases from June 3 to 21 to 116 cases of breathing difficult,” he told reporters after opening the national level World Blood Donor Day at the National Blood Centre here today.

Also present were Health Ministry secretary-general, Dr Chen Chaw Min and National Blood Centre director Dr Noryati Abu Amin.

Dzulkefly also confirmed that the number of measles fatalities among the community remained at three.

In this regard, he said KKM was conducting anthropological examination on the exhumed bodies to determine the gender, age, race, height and duration of death.

Commenting on the spread of the disease among the Orang Asli community in Kampung Gerdong in Hulu Terengganu and Kampung Ulu Sat in Jerantut, Dzulkefly said there was only one new case reported in Kampong Gerdong, bringing the total number of cases to 13, with eight cases confirmed to be measles.

"There were no new cases found in Kampung Ulu Sat, Jerantut, Pahang and as at June 20, there were eight cases with four cases confirmed measles through laboratory tests,” said Dzulkefly who also confirmed all cases from both villages have history of movements and contacts with the community from Kuala Koh in Gua Musang.

According to Dzulkefly, to date there has been no indication of measles outbreaks in other villages and all Health State Departments would continue to monitor the situation.

In this regard, Dzulkefly also announced two new cases of breathing difficulties among students of a religious school in Pasir Gudang, Johor yesterday bringing the total number of affected students to 31 comprising 21 girls and 10 boys.

Both victims were male students of Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, Pasir Gudang and they were warded at Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Bahru for treatment.

“However, six of them who were warded in the same hospital on June 20, had been discharged yesterday, looks like the case is not very serious,” he said.

On Thursday, 15 students of the religious school located about seven kilometres from Sungai Kim Kim which was polluted with toxic waste in March, experienced breathing difficulties and vomiting with five of them warded at the hospital believed due to air pollution.

- Bernama