DID the late tahfiz student Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffi suffer from a rare form of leptospirosis?
A forensic surgical and forensic specialist from Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru suggested such a possibility.
This detail was explained during an hour-long meeting the specialist had with police investigating officers and members of Thaqif’s family at the Kota Tinggi district police headquarters on Tuesday.
This came a day after news came out about the 11-year-old boy’s cause of death.
According to Thaqif’s aunt, Dzuraidah Ahmad, the family was told that the leptospirosis contracted by Thaqif was the first to be traced in the country and that it was different from normal cases.
Berita Harian reported that the case was the second in the world after similar infections were detected in Europe in 1968.
But, the fact is that a boy died, and an entire country had mourned with his family.
Finding out the cause of death was supposed to offer closure, but it has left more unanswered questions.
The news was met with much disappointment by Thaqif’s parents. Thaqif’s mother Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, and father, Mohd Gadaffi Md Karim, 43, learned about the findings from a third party.
They felt dejected by the way they were informed about Thaqif’s cause of death, considering they had been waiting for nearly three months to know the the answer.
They have yet to accept that their son died of leptospirosis, which was made complicated by skin and micro-blood congealing conditions that Thaqif suffered.
Both Felda Wani and Gadaffi are challenging the findings.
The case was widely publicised due to the extent of Thaqif’s health condition and the circumstances that occurred before his death.
A police report was lodged by his family to investigate an allegation of beatings the boy endured at the tahfiz school he attended.
A 29-year-old assistant warden was arrested to help in the investigation and was later released on court bond.
Now that Thaqif’s cause of death was determined to have no connection to any trauma or injury, police will consider reducing the charge against the assistant warden to causing hurt or assault.
The saga surrounding Thaqif’s death has led to a very sad outcome. If one were to put themselves in the family’s shoes, they would know that dealing with the death of a loved one is life-changing and it leaves a permanent scar.
One thing’s for sure, Thaqif’s death must open up the eyes of everyone on how diseases, such as leptospirosis, must be addressed.
It could be likely that after all these years, and despite the many advances made in medicine and sciences, we have yet to fully understand the effects of this disease.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye had said that the number of leptospirosis cases increased between 2011 and 2015, before it dropped last year.
Lee had revealed the Health Ministry’s statistics when leptospirosis made headlines when 40 people were quarantined at Tanah Merah Hospital in Kelantan in February after a man died of a suspected viral infection.
The statistics revealed that in 2011, 55 people died of the disease, 2012 (48), 2013 (71), 2014 (92), 2015 (78) and last year (52).
Lee said most cases were related to the victims’ jobs, which involved those working in agriculture, waste managementsector, animal farms and those involved in search-and-rescue and recreational activities.
Thaqif’s case has drawn focus on suspected abuse that the boy allegedly endured due to the action of a 29-year-old assistant warden.
Some may say that the school has been unfairly blamed now that the cause of death has been confirmed.
But, it was obvious the boy did experience something unpleasant during his brief enrolment at the school.
Whatever happened may have had nothing to do with his subsequent death, but it still leaves many unresolved matters still hanging in the air.
These issues and the medical probe into Thaqif’s death need to be looked into as his death should not be in vain.
AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN is NST Johor bureau chief. When not working, he loves driving along the coastal highway and trunk roads of Johor. A lover of food, music and theatre, he recommends everyone to try Johor’s version of 'ais kacang' which is drenched in chocolate sauce