Family of rabies victims given time for final goodbyes at SGH ICU
KUCHING: The mood at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Sarawak General Hospital ( SGH) was sombre yesterday as family members and relatives gathered to be with the two young siblings from Kampung Sungai Paon Sungai Rimu in Serian for the last time.
Six-year-old Monica Mazlan and her four-year- old brother Jackson Mazlan were pronounced dead at 1.43pm and 1.46pm respectively after their li fe support were withdrawn.
Their passing was disclosed by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian in a statement.
The siblings were among the three young victims who were admitted in SGH for having contracted the rabies virus last month.
Monica and Jackson exhibited critical symptoms before they were diagnosed to be brain- dead and the parents had to make heartbreaking decision to let go.
The caskets carrying the remains of the children were brought out of the SGH mortuary and into separate heavily-guarded vans at 4.40pm.
Earlier that day, family members and relatives took turns to see the siblings at the Paediatric ICU but before long, more and more people arrived at the ward.
Everybody could be seen comforting one another – later, some went to sit on the benches to rest, while a few others paced back and forth.
The family members, at the time, were unwilling to speak to reporters when approached.
The three children were initially rushed to SGH for an unusual presentation of viral encephalitis.
Jackson was the fi rst to receive outpatient treatment at Balai Ringin health clinic on June 5.
Later on, his condition worsened – he began to experience difficulty in breathing, exhibited slight but abnormal aggressiveness at times and also showed fear of bathing and drinking fluids ( hydrophobia).
It is learnt that he was bitten by a dog two to three months prior to showing such symptoms.
The boy was sent to Serian Hospital on June 9, before being referred to SGH.
His sister started showing symptoms of fever on June 12 and was brought to the same clinic ( Balai Ringin) two days later. She was taken to Serian Hospital on June 15, before being transferred to SGH the next day.
The third victim – a seven-year- old girl from Kampung Lebur in Gedong – showed signs of fever on June 23 and was brought to Serian Hospital, where she was treated initially as an outpatient.
However like Jackson’s case, her condition worsened – she showed changes in behaviour with aggressive tendencies and also signs of hydrophobia.
She was struck by seizures on June 28, prompting her parents to rush her straight to SGH. It is said that she was bitten by a dog a month before the symptoms appeared.
The Kampung Lebur girl is still classified as being ‘critically ill’ for now.