KUALA KRAI: More people in Kuala Koh’s Orang Asli community are worried about the mysterious illness which has affected several people in the area.
A single father, Adidas Om, 32, said he was worried about his two daughters who were experiencing breathing difficulty.
Adidas, from Kampung Kuala Koh, Gua Musang, claimed that his two daughters, Hoi, 6, and Boi, 5, experienced breathing difficulty for the past four days and could not sleep at night.
"I am very worried," he told reporters at the Kuala Krai Hospital here today.
He lodged a report with the Kelantan Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) and yesterday the agency sent his daughters to hospital. Hoi was currently receiving treatment at the Gua Musang Hospital while Boi was warded at the Kuala Krai Hospital.
Adidas who was from Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Gam, Jerantut, Pahang, and lived in Kuala Koh for the past 10 years, said he did not know the cause of the illness.
“Apart from my children, my neighbours are suffering from the same disease and some have died.
“I’m afraid to see the condition of my children and also the neighbours who are suffering from the disease. I hope the situation improves soon,” said Adidas, whose wife died in 2014.
He suspected that the incident was due to mining activity around his village and hoped that the related parties could investigate the cause of the disease.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy had earlier reported that 14 Orang Asli residents in Gua Musang were believed to have died of pneumonia.
However, police confirmed only three deaths were recorded due to the lung infection so far. - Bernama