Vaccine combo for expectant mothers

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry will introduce a new initiative to provide a combination of the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine to all expectant mothers in the country. The initiative serves to reduce the risk of infection of pertussis, especially among babies under five months.

Its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said babies under five months faced the highest risk of contracting pertussis and complications arising from it, such as pneumonia, encephalopathy and death.

“This happens because the antibodies in babies will only achieve the optimum protection levels once they receive three doses of the pertussis vaccine that is given under the National Immunisation Programme upon reaching five months.”

Zaliha said as of Aug 23, 342 cases of pertussis involving 24 deaths had been reported nationwide, and of the cases, 173 (50.4%) involved babies below five months while of the deaths, 19 were babies below five months.

“The vaccine given to expectant mothers will transfer antibodies to the unborn child and protect them until they are delivered, and (the babies) will receive the three vaccine doses at the age of five months.”

Zaliha added that the vaccine would protect babies below the age of five months against pertussis.

She said the new initiative involves an annual allocation of RM25 million and covers 500,000 expectant mothers nationwide each year.

Once implemented, all expectant mothers, including foreign nationals in the country, will be administered with a single dose of the vaccine in their second trimester or when in their 13th to 36th week of pregnancy.

The vaccines will be administered for free at all primary health facilities in the country.

Zaliha said implementation of the vaccination programme would begin next year as soon as stocks of the vaccine are available at all primary health facilities.

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