KUALA TERENGGANU: Another Orang Asli man from Kampung Sungai Berua in Hulu Terengganu was admitted to the Hulu Terengganu Hospital in Kuala Berang here after showing symptoms of respiratory tract infection (RTI), bringing the total of Orang Asli currently warded there to 10.
State health director Dr Mohd Jusoh said the 29-year-old man was admitted after he came to the hospital at 2.57am complaining of fever and cough for the past three days.
“Initial investigation found that he had visited Kuala Koh, near Gua Musang in Kelantan recently because he has family there”, he told reporters here today.
On Wednesday, eight other Orang Asli from Kuala Koh were admitted to the hospital in Hulu Terengganu — seven of whom had symptoms of RTI, while another experiencing diarrhoea, stomach pains and vomiting was being treated for acute gastroenteritis.
On Friday, another patient from the same village was admitted to the same hospital.
Dr Mohd said all the ten Orang Asli patients aged between 4 and 29 and comprising seven men and three women.
“All of them are reportedly stable, administered with antibiotics, given appropriate treatment and observed by the hospital staffs”, he said.
A total of 14 deaths of Orang Asli were reported to have taken place in the past month in Gua Musang, Kelantan, with two bodies examined by the authorities and ascertained to have been caused by pneumonia.
There are four Orang Asli settlements in Terengganu, two of which in Hulu Terengganu and one each in Besut and Kemaman. — Bernama
