JOHOR BARU: The Health Ministry must surely have done enough tests to conclude that it was leptospirosis that had claimed the life of Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffi three months ago.
Malaysian Paediatric Association president Dr Thiyagar Nadarajaw said leptospirosis was a common infection that could manifest in many ways in different individuals, though the way it did in Thaqif’s case was not that common.
“Based on the reports that we have seen about Thaqif’s condition and the latest news about his cause of death, we could see that the infection may have had a different manifestation in Thaqif’s case,” he told the New Straits Times.
Citing an example, Dr Thiyagar said many people think that an asthmatic patient could only display symptoms such as breathing difficulties.
“But, some asthma patients could also only suffer from coughing,” he said.
Asked about the nearly three-month period it took for the Health Ministry and Special Investigation Committee to release its findings on Thaqif’s cause of death, Dr Thiyagar said the experts involved in the probe would have covered all angles during investigations.
“As the Health Ministry had performed a second post-mortem on Thaqif, and it was carried out by medical experts, we have to accept and trust the findings. Definitely, there is clear evidence stemming from detailed discussions and blood samples.”
Dr Thiyagar also said he believed that health officials would have taken the necessary measures to prevent the disease from spreading, if the cause of the infection had been known.
On Monday, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the cause of death was leptospirosis, complicated by an acute skin condition called necrosis (purpura fulminans) and congealing of micro-blood (microthrombi) in the boy’s blood vessels.
These conditions caused a change in skin colour, leading to organ failure.
Thaqif died at the High Dependency Ward of Sultan Ismail Hospital here on April 26.
He never regained consciousness after his legs were amputated due to severe infections caused by the illness.
The ministry’s findings omitted any previous claim that the boy’s death was caused by injury, which was widely publicised due to a police investigation into beatings that Thaqif allegedly endured at a religious school.
Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said that none of Thaqif’s family members or his former schoolmates at the tahfiz were believed to be infected with leptospirosis.
“Thaqif’s family members and classmates would have suffered the same fate if the disease were not contained,” he said.
Johor Health Department director Dr Rooshaimi Merican said the department was working with police on the latest medical findings on Thaqif’s cause of death.
“We have just got the report and our team is working closely with police,” said Dr Rooshaimi.