SEREMBAN: Comprehensive studies and evaluations are still being conducted before making the dengue vaccine part of the National Immunisation Programme, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The Health Minister said studies also included cost-benefit analysis, considering that the price of the newly-marketed dengue vaccine is still high.
“One vaccine has obtained approval and has been registered by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and is being used in private facilities.
“Give us some time ... we are currently conducting a cost-benefit analysis on a dengue vaccine from Japan. To make it part of the immunisation programme requires careful and in-depth study.
“Besides that, there are several other vaccines in the planning by the ministry. We are waiting for cost-effective ones and will announce them if we make a decision,” he told reporters after opening the Negri Sembilan Dental Specialist Centre.
Dzulkefly said over 61,000 dengue cases have been reported nationwide up to Epidemiological Week 33 of 2026 (until Aug 22), an increase of 60.8% compared to the same period last year, with 58 deaths recorded.
The ministry, he said, has activated the dengue operations room and deployed personnel to areas identified as hotspots, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and expanded the use of the wolbachia-infected mosquitoes as a biological control method.
Meanwhile, Dzulkefly said the Health Ministry is reviewing the proposal to expand its basic dental screening and treatment into the PeKa B40 scheme, Bernama reported.
He said dental programmes should be given attention as part of preventive treatment and primary healthcare, particularly in the management of non-communicable diseases (NCD).
He said the dental specialist centre, with a cost of RM32mil, is the first dental specialist referral facility outside a hospital environment.
Since its operation in Sept last year, it has handled 11,085 patients up to June.
The centre functions as a central zone reference hub covering Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Melaka as well as the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, benefitting 11.89 million residents.
“With the addition of 18 modern dental chairs, our daily treatment capacity has surged by nearly 90% from 80 patients to 150 patients per day, and the waiting period for specialist treatment has also decreased from two months to two to three weeks.”
The ministry, Dzulkefly added, is continuing to improve public access to basic dental services through outreach programmes, with eight new mobile dental clinics set to be received by the end of this year in Sabah, Perlis, Penang, Selangor, Putrajaya and Johor.
