Unimmunised toddler dies in JB

Death believed to be due to diphtheria

A two-year-old child in Johor Baru is believed to have died from severe diphtheria, the latest case of infections due to not being immunised since birth.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the child was weak and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit of a hospital.

“The child was given assisted breathing and antitoxin diphtheria treatment.

“Unfortunately, the child could not be saved and passed away on Thursday owing to severe diphtheria with multi-organ failure,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The child had initially developed fever and cough with swollen tonsils on Feb 16 before being rushed to the hospital’s emergency unit two days later, said Dr Noor Hisham.

Further tests, he said, were being carried out to confirm if the child had indeed succumbed to the disease, which is preventable.

Dr Noor Hisham said so far, only one confirmed diphtheria case was recorded this year.

Eighteen cases were recorded in 2018 which resulted in five deaths.

Four of the five fatal cases involved victims who did not receive immunisation and all were children below 10 years old.

The ministry, he said, was taking steps to prevent the spread of the infection by tracing active cases, and providing immunisation and health education awareness.

Dr Noor Hisham reminded parents to immunise their children as failure to do so would not only put them at risk but other children as well.

“The ministry advises the public to always be alert for infectious diseases which are preventable through immunisation, such as diphtheria, measles, whooping cough,” he said.

Diphtheria is caused by the infection of the Corynebacterium diphtheria bacteria with symptoms ranging from fever and sore throat to thick covering at the back of the throat and swollen tonsils.

The disease can lead to organ failure as well as blood and heart infections, resulting in death.

Last month, Dr Noor Hisham warned that misinformation about vaccines had caused a huge spike in vaccine-preventable diseases, with almost a 1,000% increase in the number of measles cases compared to five years ago.

In Johor Baru, samples have been taken from family members of the child for testing, said state health director Dr Selahuddeen Abdul Aziz.

It is to ensure the disease does not spread to other individuals.

Early tests showed that none of the deceased’s family members and the doctors and nurses who took care of the child were infected with the disease, he said.