A month after his younger brother died as a result of brain damage, an eleven-year-old Kako child, who spent the last few weeks brain dead in the Intensive Care Unit, passed away yesterday at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
This news was confirmed by Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton last evening. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
Stabroek News had previously reported that the nine-year-old brother had died on November 13. While initial reports had suggested meningitis, Norton, during a press conference held on Monday, stated that it was in fact the result of brain damage.
Evidence of malaria was found in the younger child, as well as swelling of the brain and haemorrhagic bronchopneumonia.
Norton had further stated that the symptoms displayed by the boys pointed to toxicity, although tests carried out by the city’s hospital so far do not allow for complete diagnosis.
The Ministry of Public Health will be assisting the family with returning the child’s body home for burial, Norton added.