'He had mild fever, still able to eat and talk' - Mother mourns 11-year-old son’s sudden death from influenza
She said he vomited several times but was still able to eat. However, after the third time, his body began to convulse, sending the family into panic.
As influenza cases continue to rise nationwide, a mother in Terengganu is grieving the sudden loss of her 11-year-old son, a tragedy she never saw coming.
Just as the Education Ministry confirmed that about 6,000 students under its schools had been infected with influenza, Muhammad Amsyar Farhan Mohd Noor, a Year Five pupil at Sekolah Kebangsaan Durian Mas, Al-Muktafi Billah Shah in Dungun, was confirmed dead at 1.40am on Wednesday at the Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Health Clinic.
Normala Mohd Nor, 42, said Amsyar had started showing mild flu symptoms on Tuesday morning. Worried, she brought him to a private clinic in Paka for treatment.
She said the doctor who treated her son confirmed that he was infected with influenza following a swab test before prescribing him with antiviral medication.
But that night, her son’s condition took a sudden turn for the worse.
She said he vomited several times but was still able to eat. However, after the third time, his body began to convulse, sending the family into panic.
"I rushed him to the Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Health Clinic around 11pm. Even then, his temperature wasn’t high and he could still speak to his father," she recalled.
A few hours later, at around 1.40am, doctors broke the news every parent dreads — Amsyar had passed away.
"I couldn’t believe it. Everything happened so fast," Normala said.
Her son, the youngest of two siblings, was initially scheduled to be buried at 10am on Wednesday, but the funeral was postponed as the case had to be referred to the Health Ministry for further investigation.
Normala later brought Amsyar’s remains from Dungun to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital for a post-mortem.
The burial was expected to take place after Maghrib prayers at the Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Islamic Cemetery.
Normala said her son had always been healthy and had never suffered from any chronic illness.
Meanwhile, Sinar Harian is still awaiting confirmation from the Terengganu State Health Department regarding the cause of death.
Previously, a four-year-old boy in Sarawak was also reported to have died after testing positive for influenza A. The exact cause of death was still being investigated by the Sarawak State Health Department.
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