Orang asli girls weigh about 15kg but in stable condition

Miksudiar (left) and Norieen - Bernama pic

KOTA BARU: The two orang asli children who survived a 46-day ordeal in the jungles of Kelantan lost about 10kg each but are in a stable condition. 

State health director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin said the two girls, who were found alive on Friday, weighed about 15kg each currently.      

"There are two issues that we need to pay attention to - the serious lack of nutrition they face and their psychological state," he said during a press conference at the Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II on Saturday after visits by ministers and government agency heads.

Norieen Yaakob, 10, and Miksudiar Aluj, 11, were found along Sungai Perias on Friday. 

Dr Ahmad said that the girls were severely malnourished and the hospital needed to get them to be nourished gradually.

"They were also very quiet and appeared depressed and did not want to talk.

"When I tried to examine them, they withdrew from being examined," he said adding that the children were still traumatised.

The seven children were initially believed to have fled into the forest on Aug 23 to avoid punishment from swimming in a nearby river without permission.

Dr Ahmad said that Norieen and Miksudiar were transferred from Hospital Gua Musang to the hospital because it was more equipped with more specialists such as paediatricians, dietitians, pharmacists and psychiatrists.

Paediatrician Dr Nik Nasiruddin Nik Leh said their conditions were stable but need to be monitored properly.

"They need to be hydrated for now. We are giving them liquid to drink first, then followed by soft food after a few days.

"If we give a diet that is not suitable, it can lead to complications," he said.

He said it could take between three to six months for them to recover.