Kedah records another diphtheria case

Another diphtheria case was reported in Kedah, bringing the total number of diphtheria cases reported in the country until last Saturday to 14 with five death.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the latest case involved a six-year-old boy who was down with fever since last June 26.

"Three days later the patient had a seizure and was referred to a hospital in Kedah, and warded. However, his condition worsens and last Friday (July 1), he was placed on a ventilator.

"Following which, he was referred to a medical centre in Kuala Lumpur and laboratory tests confirmed that he had diphtheria," he said in a statement here today.

He said the case involving the boy was a sporadic case and had no connection with the previous six cases.

"Prophylaxis treatment has been given to all contacts of the new case, which is part of the preventive and control measures," he added.

Noor Hisham said so far, three cases with one death were detected in Melaka, Kedah (seven cases with one death) and Sabah (four cases with three death).

He said a possible diphtheria suspect was reported in Johor, involving a five-year-old child who had a history of fever and sore throat.

The patient did not get the complete 5-in-1 antigen vaccines and the result of the laboratory test has yet to be obtained, he added.

Dr Noor Hisham advised parents to ensure their children received the complete 5-in-1 antigen vaccines to protect them from various diseases.