Police refute report that two Orang Asli in Gua Musang died of mysterious disease

GUA MUSANG, June 8 (Bernama) -- Police refuted the report that two Orang Asli residents in Kampung Kuala Koh here had died of a mysterious disease on May 29 and yesterday.

Gua Musang Police chief Supt Taufik Maidin said both victims - the 30-year-old man who died on May 29 and the 21-year-old woman who passed away at 4 pm yesterday - actually died of viral infections in the lungs which cause severe coughing.

“The post mortem results showed that they died of a severe coughing fit and not of any mysterious disease.

“In fact, investigations found that there are many other members of the community who have been suffering the same illness, including 31 who are currently receiving treatment,” he told Bernama when contacted here today.

He said of the total, 13 were warded at the Gua Musang Hospital,  two critical ones were transferred to the Kuala Krai Hospital, while the rest received out-patient treatment at the Aring 1 and Chiku 3 health clinics.

Taufik also refuted the allegations by the Orang Asli community that 13 of them had died due to the disease, saying that only two death reports were received by the police so far.

He said the police were also monitoring the situation of the disease with the cooperation from the relevant agencies to ensure that those infected would receive immediate medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Kelantan/Terengganu Orang Asli Development Department director Hashim Alang Abdul Hamid said the department had yet to receive the full report pertaining to the allegation that 13 Orang Asli residents had died due to viral infections within the period of a month.

He said they only received two death reports so far, but investigations were being done to ascertain the actual situation and to get the names of those who allegedly have died.

-- BERNAMA