Girl, 8, dies after possibly contracting rat urine disease at Kedah waterfall

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 07, 2014 12:34 pm

An eight-year old girl has died, possibly due to a rat urine disease she may have contracted during a family trip to a Kedah waterfall.

Amirah Maisarah Zir Omar Khan died on Friday evening (Dec 5).

Tests showed that she could have died from leptospirosis, an infection caused by bacteria most commonly spread by rodents, said the state health department director Datuk Dr Norhizan.

The girl had travelled to a waterfall in Yan, Kedah, with her family two weeks before her death.

“Precautionary measures will be done to place warning signboards at waterfall or river recreation parks, including at Titi Hayun,” said Dr Norhizan.

“Officers from the district health department will be conducting a thorough investigation on the family members to make sure that they receive proper treatment,” he added.