We present a previously-healthy 12-year old girl from a rural community and who was admitted to a district general hospital in Malaysia with coagulopathy and septic shock. Despite receiving intensive care, she succumbed to her illness. Blood cultures grew Burkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis is an unusual cause of paediatric Gram-negative sepsis among children in Malaysia.
The Orang Asli are the indigenous population in peninsular Malaysia and are in fact a diverse sub-ethnic group with different languages. Our aim was to collect data on Orang Asli newborns, from western and central Pahang, that were admitted to a general hospital with paediatric specialist services.