PETALING JAYA: More Malaysians, especially those aged above 65, should take their flu vaccines and be on guard against the infectious disease, say health experts.
Immunisation4Life programme technical committee chairman Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail said that not many people were taking up the flu vaccine.
“We plan to launch a campaign to raise public awareness on the need for people to undergo flu vaccination, especially senior citizens who face a higher risk as flu is highly contagious,” he said when contacted yesterday.
The campaign, known as the “Preventing the Flu at 65 & Beyond” campaign, will be launched together with the Health Ministry and other partners on Sept 7.
Dr Zulkifli said the flu cases in Malaysia mainly involved young children and those above 65 years old.
“If you have any underlying conditions such as heart disease, the flu can precipitate heart attacks among the older groups.
“So that is why we are trying to raise awareness,” he added.
In July, there were reports of outbreaks of influenza at two boarding schools in Subang Jaya, Selangor and Ipoh.
However, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the country were under control despite several clusters involving boarding schools being detected.
He explained that the public, especially parents, did not have to worry as it was only a common infection and would emerge from time to time, apart from patients only needing monitoring and isolation.
Public health expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said the elderly were considered a high-risk group compared to others in the population.
“The elderly are prone to get infections and complications. If they can afford to get the flu vaccine, they should take it,” he added.
He said the flu virus was airborne, “That is why it’s easy for the flu to be transmitted if one person in a household or office has it. We need to continue to mask up, especially in crowded places, to avoid the flu.”
He also said other than vaccination, personal hygiene would play an important role in preventing the spread of flu, adding that a strong immunity system could help prevent the flu.
