Doctor: Diphtheria deaths are heartbreaking

Hot zone: The Paya Nahu flats in Sungai Petani, Kedah, where seven children of a family were admitted to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital for suspected diphtheria.

PETALING JAYA: A child’s death from diphtheria can be heartbreaking, both for the parents and also those who are treating the children, says a paediatrician

“I remember going through two diphtheria epidemics in different parts of the country where we lost many children; children coming to us choking due to the membrane that diphtheria causes in the throat and our futile struggle to save them,” said senior consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS.