Causes of deaths of 12 Orang Asli unconfirmed

PORT DICKSON, July 6 (Bernama) -- The results of post-mortems on the skeletal remnants of 12 Orang Asli in Kampung Kuala Koh, Kelantan cannot confirm the cause of deaths.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that the post-mortems were conducted on the 12 remnants on June 17 and 18.

‘’We have also not received the results of the texicology, heavy metal and enthomology tests,’’ he told a media conference after a Port Dickson Parliamentary Level My Healthy Village programme here today.

He said that the number of deaths, which were confirmed by laboratory tests as due to measles, remained at three cases, and there was also no new death cases as of yesterday.

‘’Post-mortems by the forensic team also confirmed that the deaths in the three cases were due to measles infections and complications,’’ he said.

Dr Zulkifl said that 48 cases were still being treated, namely, 46 in the isolation wards and two in the Intensive Care Unit as of July 5.

He said that all those being treated were stable while 53 mild cases were housed at the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) Camp at the Etnobotany Park, Gua Musang.

Meanwhile, he said that in Terengganu, five cases were still being treated at the isolation ward of the Hulu Terengganu Hospital while there was no new case in Pahang and the epidermic was under control.

Since the epidermic was reported on June 3 until July 5, the cumulative cases reported were 173 cases, namely, 147 cases in Kelantan including three deaths, Terengganu (18 cases) and Pahang (eight cases).

Of the total number, 82 cases were confirmed through laboratory tests to be measles.

-- BERNAMA