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N. Sumatra on alert after student dies of diphtheria
Ten students from the USU School of Medicine department have sought medical treatment at Adam Malik Medan General Hospital for high fevers following Nurul's death.
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The North Sumatra Health Agency has officially declared an Extraordinary Occurrence (KLB) status for the University of North Sumatra (USU) following a diphtheria case that killed a student of the state university. (Shutterstock/KC Jan)
T
he North Sumatra Health Agency has officially declared an Extraordinary Occurrence (KLB) status following a diphtheria case that killed a Malaysian student studying in the University of North Sumatra (USU).
The student has been identified as Nurul Arifah binti Ahmad Ali, 20. She was undergoing her fifth semester as a medical student when she fell sick with diphtheria. She was hospitalized in Adam Malik Medan General Hospital prior to her death. Her family has taken her body back to Malaysia for a funeral.
North Sumatra Health Agency head Awi Mujahit Hasibuan said Nurul had traveled to Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in Malaysia on Sept. 13 to 15. She returned to Indonesia shortly after coming down with a fever, which was later revealed as a symptom of her diphtheria.
Alwi said his team had not yet been able to discern where and when Nurul had contracted the virus. However, because the evidence strongly suggested that Nurul died as a result of diphtheria, Alwi said, the agency had decided to declare an Extraordinary Occurrence status for this case.
"We will revoke this status when it is safe," Alwi told reporters on Tuesday.
To anticipate the virus from spreading, his team conducted an outbreak response immunization (ORI) program for people who have interacted with the victim in Medan. Alwi said as many as 290 people have been vaccinated so far.
USU School of Medicine dean Aldy Safruddin Rambe said 10 students from his department had sought medical treatment at Adam Malik Medan General Hospital for high fevers following Nurul's death.
