A six-year-old boy in Kedah has been diagnosed with diphtheria, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the state to ten.
State health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail told Bernama that the child’s immunisation status was doubtful as he had no immunisation record.
“The child was suffering from fever for three days. On June 28 he was sent for treatment at a health clinic after a seizure. The case was referred to Kulim Hospital and the child was admitted to the isolation ward for suspected diphtheria.
“His condition worsened on June 30 and he was referred to University of Malaya Medical Centre for further treatment at the intensive care unit on July 1 and he is still in critical condition,” Dr Norhizan said in a statement as cited by the news agency.
Dr Norhizan added that the boy’s blood sample was sent to the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) and the results confirmed that the boy tested positive for diphtheria.
“Six students from his pre-school had experienced sore throat but no symptoms of fever were detected and they were advised to seek treatment at the nearby health clinic,” he was quoted as saying.
Out of the 249 children at the boy’s housing area, ten reportedly had not been given the immunisation shots, said Dr Norhizan.
This new case in Kulim was the 10th confirmed diphtheria case in Kedah – eight recorded in Kuala Muda and one in Langkawi. Only one fatality was reported in the state.
