Father of children who died from Rabies receives RM60,000 from DPM

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today handed over a personal contribution of RM60,000 to Mazlan Pujan, the father of the two rabies-infected children who died last week.

The simple ceremony was held at the Hornbill Skyways Office here after Ahmad Zahid, who is National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) chairman, was briefed on the rabies epidemic in the Serian district by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

The contribution was for Mazlan to build a new house for his family.

Mazlan's children, six-year-old Monica and four-year-old Jackson, died last July 4 at the Sarawak General Hospital. The family is from Kampung Paon Rimu Bakung, Serian.

The children were diagnosed to be brain dead and the parents agreed for the life support to be withdrawn.

After the ceremony, Ahmad Zahid, left in a helicopter to attend the Home Ministry's Aidilfitri gathering at Padang Lama Kompleks Sukan in Sri Aman.

Meanwhile as at 3 pm yesterday, four rabies-positive cases had been reported, with two death so far. The third and fourth victims are reported still in critical condition at the Sarawak General Hospital.

Last July 4, the Sarawak government declared five villages in the Serian District as rabies-infected and issued an order for all household dogs within a 10-km radius to be vaccinated against the disease.

--BERNAMA