KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Muhammad Shazril Shaharuddin’s son was only two months old when he and his wife sent him to a daycare centre.
But within a week, Aezriel Muhammad Shazril started to have a cough and cold. Ace, as they nicknamed him, was breathing fast and refused to drink milk.
Dr Shazril, 31, said when he took Ace to the hospital for his influenza-like symptoms, doctors diagnosed him as having acute bronchiolitis, a lung infection and common illness of the respiratory tract.
“By the third day in the hospital, his condition suddenly worsened. He was breathless and his body was so weak. I was so helpless. I never cried so much in my life. He was given a strong dose of oxygen.
“The oxygen pumping sound still hounds me,” he said at the Immunise4Life’s “Flu prevention is an act of love” campaign yesterday.
Ace was hospitalised for nine days. After that episode, Dr Shazril said his wife quit her job to look after Ace and the entire family went for vaccinations to prevent any possible flu infection.
Edwardo Chan, 84, said he and his wife Choy Poh Chen, 80, have been taking the flu shot annually for the past three years.
“If you fall seriously ill with the flu, you can’t live long. I followed my son’s advice and accepted the offer for flu jabs because we don’t want to fall sick,” he said.
Institute for Respiratory Medicine director Dr Nurhayati Marzuki said the flu was not a common cold.
She said it could be anything from mild to causing complications such as pneumonia and organ failure, leading to the need for intensive care, especially for the young, elderly and immuno-suppressed.
“The way to prevent it is to go for a yearly flu jab,” she added.
She said she and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been taking the flu shot once each year since his first premiership (1981-2003), even if they did not travel overseas.
The young could play a part in educating their elderly parents on this, she said.
“They have the right to choose and they should be well-informed and make the choice. Explain to them that it is taken only once a year,” said the Prime Minister’s wife.
To address the resistance from anti-vaxxers, Dr Siti Hasmah said those who had suffered the disease should provide talks and create awareness.
“The way it is approached is also important. For example, in family planning, people initially look at it with distaste but we explained to them that having too many children would not be good for their health, and they changed their attitude.
“The same with immunisation. The anti-vaxxers may argue that the injection is dangerous but they don’t realise that when they were young, they were given the same vaccines. When they grow up and got married, they should not deprive their children of vaccination,” she said.
“The benefits are huge. You need to look after yourself, the children and the elderly. Vaccination is an act of love.”
But within a week, Aezriel Muhammad Shazril started to have a cough and cold. Ace, as they nicknamed him, was breathing fast and refused to drink milk.
Dr Shazril, 31, said when he took Ace to the hospital for his influenza-like symptoms, doctors diagnosed him as having acute bronchiolitis, a lung infection and common illness of the respiratory tract.
“By the third day in the hospital, his condition suddenly worsened. He was breathless and his body was so weak. I was so helpless. I never cried so much in my life. He was given a strong dose of oxygen.
“The oxygen pumping sound still hounds me,” he said at the Immunise4Life’s “Flu prevention is an act of love” campaign yesterday.
Ace was hospitalised for nine days. After that episode, Dr Shazril said his wife quit her job to look after Ace and the entire family went for vaccinations to prevent any possible flu infection.
Edwardo Chan, 84, said he and his wife Choy Poh Chen, 80, have been taking the flu shot annually for the past three years.
“If you fall seriously ill with the flu, you can’t live long. I followed my son’s advice and accepted the offer for flu jabs because we don’t want to fall sick,” he said.
Institute for Respiratory Medicine director Dr Nurhayati Marzuki said the flu was not a common cold.
She said it could be anything from mild to causing complications such as pneumonia and organ failure, leading to the need for intensive care, especially for the young, elderly and immuno-suppressed.
“The way to prevent it is to go for a yearly flu jab,” she added.
Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, 93, who launched the campaign and is the patron of Immunise4Life, said that besides getting a good diet, enough exercise and rest, one other secret to her and her husband’s longevity was taking a flu shot.
She said she and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been taking the flu shot once each year since his first premiership (1981-2003), even if they did not travel overseas.
The young could play a part in educating their elderly parents on this, she said.
“They have the right to choose and they should be well-informed and make the choice. Explain to them that it is taken only once a year,” said the Prime Minister’s wife.
To address the resistance from anti-vaxxers, Dr Siti Hasmah said those who had suffered the disease should provide talks and create awareness.
“The way it is approached is also important. For example, in family planning, people initially look at it with distaste but we explained to them that having too many children would not be good for their health, and they changed their attitude.
“The same with immunisation. The anti-vaxxers may argue that the injection is dangerous but they don’t realise that when they were young, they were given the same vaccines. When they grow up and got married, they should not deprive their children of vaccination,” she said.
“The benefits are huge. You need to look after yourself, the children and the elderly. Vaccination is an act of love.”
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
