PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is appealing to parents to follow the National Immunisation Schedule for their children, and not to believe in false news and propaganda spread about vaccination on social media.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry has received untrue information on vaccination via social media.
He added that there were also certain groups of people and individuals who openly influenced the public to reject vaccinations based on their wrong understanding about it.
“Most of the false information are spread by those who are obsessed over allegations that vaccinations and the immunisation schedule by the government does not benefit their children and has a negative effect.
“But this is not true. The ministry is always monitoring the spread of this false news especially on social media sites by individuals who are against vaccination,” he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said what was carried out by these groups and individuals was irresponsible and had an adverse impact on efforts by the ministry to fight diseases.
“This has resulted in a rise of communicable diseases which can be treated by vaccinations.
“Based on observation, there are parents who reject vaccinations for their children after being influenced by wrong information,” he added.
Dr Noor Hisham said the number of those who rejected vaccinations at government clinics continued to increase from 637 cases in 2013 to 1,603 cases in 2016.
However, he said there was a slight decrease of vaccination rejection cases in 2017 with 1,404 cases following efforts undertaken by the ministry.
“If this situation continues, there is a possibility that diseases which can be prevented by vaccinations would continue to increase and the government’s efforts to strengthen the national immunisation schedule and advocation efforts would be rendered useless,” he added.
Diseases which can prevented by vaccinations have increased in the country such as measles which rose from 195 cases in 2013 to 1,934 cases in 2018. This is an increase of 891.8 per cent in a period five years, he added.
He also said apart from that, the number of measles cases without immunisation also increased from 125 cases (68.7 per cent) in 2013 to 1,467 cases (75.9 per cent) in 2018.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry has recorded six deaths caused by measles last year whereby all those cases had no immunisation against the disease, five cases of Diphtheria in which four of them didn’t have immunisation and 22 cases of pertussis, in which 19 were not immunised.
“Immunisation can prevent these diseases and reduce complications which could lead to death.
“Currently, the national immunisation schedule can prevent 12 diseases caused by bacteria and viruses.
“These immunisations are given for free to local infants and children at government clinics since the 1950s.
“With the immunisation programme and health service achievements, Malaysia has successfully reduced 85 per cent deaths among children from 1970 to 2017, from 55.9 per cent of deaths in every 1,000 births to only 8.4 deaths.
“Immunisation has also helped to completely eradicate smallpox in the world,” he added.