Irfan Wafiy has myokymia after exposure to pollutions

Irfan Wafiy Idham Wazir

By Siti Zanariah Nor Zin

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Irfan Wafiy Idham Wazir,12, prior to this was very active running and swimming and was free to do anything to enjoy his childhood.

Now, his every movement was limited after he was confirmed to be suffering from Myokymia, namely, a type of ailment which caused several parts of the body to tremble.

Irfan Wafiy, the fourth of five siblings, developed the Parkinson-like problem after he was believed to have been exposed to the pollutions from Sungai Kim Kim, last March.

His mother, Norlela Abu Hashim, 45, said Irfan Wafiy was admitted to the Sultan Ismail Hospital (SIH) after he had breathing difficulties after he was suspected to have sniffed poison gases at school.

Unlike other friends, the pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Taman Bukit Dahlia, Pasir Gudang stayed in hospital for 10 days after his health deteriorated every day.

She said that the specialists at SIH had carried out numerous procedures including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to determine why his leg shook.

‘’His leg started to shake the second night he was in the hospital. When he was asleep, his heart was beating fast. Doctor slapped his face several times but he was like in a very deep sleep. The team of doctors around his bed decided to summon the neurologist.

‘’The neurologist told him to walk but he could not do so. I had to hold him. One time, I took him to the toilet and he fell because I forgot that he could not walk normally,’’ Norlela told the Bernama News Channel (Astro 502) when contacted today.

The housewife said that the SIH specialists then referred Irfan Wafiy’s case to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) and examinations found that Irfan Wafiy was positive Myokymia after sniffing poisonous gases which caused his lungs to fail.

As he was forced to go to the hospital very often, his father Idham Wazir, 49, decided to quit his job to focus his full attention on his son.

According to Norlela, Irfan Wafiy was set to sit for the Primary School Evaluation Test (UPSR) in September but due to the negligence of certain parties her son’s future appeared bleak.

‘’I have stored all his toys and sports equipment. At times, Irfan Wafiy will punch his calf hopping that it will no longer tremble. As a mother who had brought him up from birth, I am sad at what had happened.

Norlela said that since her son received treatments at SIH and HKL, no quarters had provided aid. They only visited him but there was no follow up action.

Consequently, she said that her husband had attended a meeting session with the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin with the factory operators at Pasir Gudang, recently.

Through the video viraled on social media, Idham expressed his regret to the factory operators and requested that they be responsible with the incident befalling not only Irfan Wafiv but also all victims.

On March 7, 105 students and residents near Sungai Kim kim fell sick and were admitted to the hospital after sniffing poisonous gases. After preliminary investigations, the authorities identified the cause was due to chemical wastes dumped into Sungai Kim Kim.

On March 11, 2019, the second wave of the poisonous gas reactions from the chemical wastes in Singai Kim Kim started. A total 106 new victims were warded at hospitals with the number of victims touching 1,000 people several days later, including eight in the intensive care unit.

This was because the gases could be absorbed into a human body through the respiration channel and also the skin. Several poisonous gases were produced after the chemical reacted with water and air. This included the acrylonitrile, xylene, methane and toluene gases which could cause headaches, nausea, unconsciousness and breathing difficulties.

-- BERNAMA