Diphtheria cases are on the rise in Malaysia as 13 cases have been confirmed, with five fatalities, according to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Dr Noor Hisham told The New Straits Times that Kedah had six cases with one death, Sabah four cases with three deaths and Malacca had three cases with one death.
“All the cases in Sabah are sporadic with no link to each other, whereas the cases in Kedah and Malacca are clustered incidents which happened within families,” he said in a statement cited by the daily.
He added that the two latest cases in Sabah involved a Malaysian child who had no history of diphtheria immunisation. The child was reportedly diagnosed with the disease on June 23 and passed away on Monday.
“The second case involved a non-Malaysian child aged five who was diagnosed with diphtheria on Tuesday. The child is currently being treated at the isolation ward and is reportedly stable,” he was quoted as saying.
Dr Noor Hisham has urged all parents to ensure that their children receive their vaccinations according to the schedule.
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