The health ministry will administer tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) combination vaccines to all pregnant women in Malaysia from next year, says health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
According to Zaliha, this initiative is aimed at reducing the risk of pertussis infection – more commonly known as whooping cough – especially among infants under five months of age.
“This is the highest-risk group for contracting pertussis and complications, such as pneumonia, encephalopathy (inflammation of the brain), and death,” she said in a statement.
She said this occurs because the pertussis antibodies in a baby’s body only reach optimal protective levels after three doses of vaccine at the age of five months.
“Administering the Tdap vaccine to pregnant women will provide protection to infants from inside the womb until they can complete the three primary doses of the pertussis vaccine at the age of five months.
“This protection is achieved through antibodies transferred from the mother to the baby during pregnancy, thus we can prevent pertussis infections among infants under five months,” she said.
This new initiative is expected to cost the government RM25 million per year and is intended to cover an estimated 500,000 pregnant women nationwide each year.
When implemented, all pregnant women, including non-citizens, will be given one dose of the Tdap vaccine during the second or third trimester of pregnancy (13 to 36 weeks) for free at all public primary healthcare facilities nationwide.
The inoculation drive is expected to begin in 2024, once Tdap vaccine supplies have been procured. The ministry said further information will be provided from time to time.
Previously, the ministry urged parents to ensure their children are immunised according to the government vaccination programme to protect them from pertussis.
Health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan said Malaysia recorded 329 cases and 23 deaths from the infection so far this year and that this was half of the 697 cases reported in 2019.
“Sabah recorded the highest number of cases at 181, followed by Selangor (51), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (15), Pahang (13), Perak (13), Melaka (12), Negeri Sembilan (12), Johor (9), Sarawak (8), Kelantan (7), Kedah (3), Terengganu (3), Penang (1) and Labuan (1),” he added. – FMT