Elderly Woman In Pahang Dies After Choking On Onde Onde During Breakfast
The woman was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.
By Arisha Rozaidee — 27 Jul 2021, 03:14 PM
An elderly woman in Pahang died while having onde onde for breakfast with her family
According to Kosmo!, the incident took place yesterday, 26 July, in Kampung Lentang.
Lipis district police chief Supt Azli Mohd Noor said that the victim has been identified as 82-year-old Meriam Abdul Rafar.
He explained, "The incident happened when the victim was eating with her son and she suddenly choked on the kuih."
The woman was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead at 11am
"Seeing his mother's condition, the son contacted a health official at a clinic in the village to ask for emergency help," Azli elaborated further.
A similar incident took place in Singapore in 2016.
Following which, state coroner Marvin Bay urged people to be vigilant when it comes to feeding the elderly glutinous, lump-sized, or malleable food items.
"Sensible precautions to consider would include cutting the onde onde into smaller pieces, rather than be proffered an en-bloc serving of an entire onde onde on a napkin as was the case here," he said to The Straits Times in a report dated 6 September 2016.
He also emphasised the importance of providing water at hand, to lubricate the passage of the food item to the digestive tract, especially for individuals with impaired salivation ability.
When food is stuck in the airway, rather than proceeding down the digestive tract, it obstructs a person's ability to breathe. If this happens, the food item might not be extricable in time to save the person from permanent brain injury or death, the report noted.
