Investigate source of leptospirosis infection

THE outcome of the forensic investigation on Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi, 11 – who died on April 26 after allegedly being abused at a tahfiz (religious) boarding school – indicates the cause of death as leptospirosis infection (a disease caused by rat urine).

So it is now very important for the relevant authorities, namely the police and the Health Department, to immediately conduct a thorough investigation on the matter, especially on how the victim contracted the disease in the first place.

Most of us are aware of the public warnings that have been made in recent years about the outbreak of leptospirosis in our country.

Leptospirosis is a very dangerous disease and a common health problem worldwide.

In Malaysia, there has been an increasing number of reported cases which have resulted in a significant number of deaths.

There have been many reported cases of people getting infected in recreational areas.

A single gulp of water from a contaminated river, pond or waterfall or contact with infected soil through small open wounds on the body can expose people to this fatal disease.

According to medical research, leptospiral infection in humans causes a range of symptoms. However, some infected persons may develop no symptom at all, which makes any effort to seek early medical treatment very difficult.

Leptospirosis is said to begin suddenly with fever accompanied by chills, intense headache, severe muscle ache, abdominal pain, red eyes, and occasionally a skin rash. The classic form of severe leptospirosis is liver damage, kidney failure and bleeding.

The infection is also said to be often incorrectly diagnosed due to the non-specific symptoms. Thus, it is crucial for the relevant authorities to conduct further investigations based on the latest revelation from the autopsy done on the late Mohamad Thaqif Amin. The rele- vant authorities must trace all of his activities prior to his death which could have exposed him to this disease.

Legal action must be taken against those who are responsible for allowing the infection to happen. At the same time, improvement is greatly needed to control and prevent the spread of the disease.

The general public must be constantly educated about the issue and reminded to take good care of their health and not expose themselves to the disease.

DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW Faculty of Syariah and Law Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia