GEORGE TOWN: With measles cases increasing four-fold last year, the state is providing measles-rubella supplementary immunisation until Oct 12.
Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi (pic) said the state health department will be carrying out immunisation activity to reach 65,500 children aged between six months and 59 months (those born between Aug 1, 2020 and Jan 31 this year).
He said the initiative was in line with the nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign which began on Aug 4, following a rise in infections and reported deaths among unvaccinated children.
“We have given out 19,600 (29.92%) vaccinations of our targeted 65,500 supplementary shots. This initiative aims increase herd immunity, to support the country’s goal of achieving the elimination of measles by 2030,” he said yesterday.
Gooi said measles and rubella were highly contagious diseases and could cause serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation (encephalitis), convulsions and even death, adding that both diseases were preventable through the administration of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.
“An analysis of national cases found that 44.1% of cases involved children under the age of five, while 28.9% involved non-citizens, of whom 84.3% had never been vaccinated,” he said.
Gooi said in Penang, 84 cases were reported in 2024, a sharp increase compared to only 20 cases in 2023.
“I advise parents and guardians to immediately take their children to receive the additional dose of the vaccine for free.
“Parents can book an appointment for their children through the MySejahtera application or walk into any government clinic in the state to get the vaccine,” he said, adding that the free supplementary dosage was open to foreigner as well.
State health deputy director (public health division) Dr Rozaini Mat Shah said the supplementary vaccine was in addition to the compulsory ones an infant received at nine and 12 months.
“Your baby can take this dosage even at six months and take the compulsory ones when they reach nine and 12 months.
“This is just an additional dose to boost their immunity to measles and rubella. This measure is necessary as measles is considered more contagious that Covid-19,” she added.
