~ert Dr Hilmi Yahaya expressed fears that the outbreak would wors- en as. the awareness of getting vac- cimited remained low.
"The diphtheria situation is seri- ous and it is worsening.
"The disease can be-transmitted through the air.
"As such, I urge the people to vac- cinate themselves and get a booster dose, if nece.ssaiy," he said yester-
day. -
Dr Hilmi was commenting oil the rise in diphtheria cases, including two new ones reported in Penang on July 18 and 21.
Dr Hilmi said parents should re-
. ~~-.._.,,..~ LUC.U I.;HliUfcfi Ullillt:lhate-
ly to ensure immunisation against diphtheria remained effective.
A 6-year-old child in Sabah was the latest confirmed case of diph- theria in the country, bringing the total number of patients to 25, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hishail) Abdullah yesterday.
Of the 25 c~es. five deaths were confipned to be caused by diseases, he said.
An 11-month-old child~ Muham- mad Rushaidi Rizqi, died on Sunday in Kedah after recovering from diph- theria.
A post-mortem is being conduct- ed to confirm the cause of death.
- ~ ...
...-...
...Deputy Health Minister Datuk Serl Dr Hilmi Yahaya (secondfrom left) interacting with participants at a youth programme at the Balik Pulau Polytechnic in Penang yesterday. Pic by Danial Saad
··· · ···-···:···
Child,. 6, brings total diphtheria cases to 25
KUALA WMPUR: A 6-year-old child has been confirmed lo have diph- theria, making it the 25th such case in Malaysia. .
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Sabah Health Department reported the case last Tuesday after a throat swab culture test of the child came back positive for the Corynebacteri- um diphtheria bacteria.
"Today, the number of confirmed diphtheria cases has increased to a total of 25, including five fatalities,"
hesaid. .
The breakdown of cases-sees Kedah with eight cases with one death; Negri - Sembilah (seven cases, no death), Sabah (five cases, three deaths), Malacca (three cases, one death) and Penang (two cases, no d~ath). ·
Dr Noor Hisham reiterated that it was important for children under , the age of 7 to receive the complete five doses of DTaP vaccines {diph- theria, tetanJ.l.s and pertussis) to avoid getting diphtheria.
"Parents- are. advised to double- check their children's immunisation status and get vaccinated if they have yet to receive them· or if it's
·incomplete."
The 6-year-old child had taken the three main immunisation qosages, but missed an extra dose at 18 months old, he said.
The child began experiencing fever, cough and flu on July 11 and was treated at Likas Women and Children Hospital before being
Number of diagnosed diphtheria cases
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Ministries to keep
track of pupils'
vaccination records
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health and Ed- ucation ministries are ·working to- gether to ensure that all students are fuily immunised according· to the vaccination schedule.
. Deputy Education· Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said students' im- munisation records would be checked in all. schools beginning next month.
·"The two ministries are going to identify children· who have missed their vaccinations," he told theNew Straits Times.
He stressed the importance of parental awareness to ensure that their children received their vacci- nation according to the schedule set .bY the Health Ministry. ·
Deputy Education Minister Il Sen- ator Chong Sin Woon said ensuring students' health and wellbeing had always been the ministry's focus.
"The health records of schoolchi- dren are constantly monitored through the Buku Rekod Kesihatan Murid (Pupil's Health Record Book),
· which 'is given free to pupils on the first day of registration in schools."
He said the records included in immunisation schedule as provided
Datuk·P.
Kamalanathan Chong Sln Woon by their parents or the Health Min- istry officials in schools.
"When there is a need for a pupil to be vaccinated, we will ob- tain perniission from his or her par- ents.
"This will be recorded in the Buku Rekod Kes'ihatan, Murid," said
Chong. ·
He added that the ministry would fully support the Health Ministry's efforts to ensure that schoolchildren
·received full immunisation.
"Children are the future of the country. We hope to qmtinue work- ing closely with the Health Ministry to protect our children from harmful diseases and ensure they remain healthy," he said.
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