Man loses son, nephew to dengue fever

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang

The clock reads 1:37 p.m. In the yard of a modest house on Jl. Klayatan in Bandung Rejosari subdistrict, Sukun district, Malang, several people stack up blue plastic chairs.

In a guest room inside the house, a middle-aged man wearing a black shirt and pants sits on a mat and greets people as they offer their condolences.

The man, Mustofa, 37, had just lost his six-month-old son, Mohammad Roihaan, to dengue fever. Clearly struggling to accept his son's death, the sorrow is etched deeply into Mustofa's face.

Roihaan's death came less than 40 days after his eight-year- old nephew, Batani, also died of dengue fever.

Batani passed away after being treated for a night at Panti Waloeya Hospital in Malang on Sept. 20. Neither of Batani's parents could be at his side because they were working in Jakarta.

Roihaan's older brother, Ahmad Fahrizal, 9, is now being treated at the same hospital for dengue. Fahrizal was admitted to the hospital three days after his brother was hospitalized on Oct. 9.

According to Mustofa, a teacher at the Cemorokandang state Islamic school in Malang, Roihaan's symptoms included a high fever and red spots that covered his entire body.

"We brought him to a midwife and received some medicine three days before he was admitted to the hospital. After taking the medicine the red spots disappeared, but his fever went up that night and we rushed him to the hospital," said Mustofa.

Three days later, Roihaan's brother Fahrizal was taken to the same hospital after displaying the symptoms of dengue fever: nausea, a headache and a high fever.

"The blood tests were positive. Both my children had dengue fever. When my older son was admitted, I intended to take the younger one home because his condition had improved. His temperature had gone down," said Mustofa, a native of Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara.

Mustofa and his wife, Mariyam, 34, a kindergarten teacher, did everything they could for their sons, but last Saturday at 4:50 a.m., Roihaan drew his last breath.

"My wife went into shock. She fainted several times. I tried to tell her this was a trial from God. I wish my wife could accept this trial," said Mustofa.

The death drew a great deal of attention and people from all walks of life went to pay their condolences to Mustofa and Mariyam, including the wife of the mayor of Malang, Heri Puji Utami Peni Suparto.

"The mayor's wife provided assistance in the form of money to my wife, which she said was to help ease the burden. I do not know how much she gave us," Mustofa said.