PRIVATE hospitals have been struggling to meet the demand for the influenza A vaccine as more people seek immunisation amid the current flu outbreak, medical practitioners said.

While this shows greater public awareness of the importance of vaccination, it has forced some private health facilities to source supply from overseas as stocks are depleted.

Dr Helmy Haja Mydin, who heads the Lung Centre at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, said demand for the flu vaccine is higher than usual.

“The supply of vaccines is declining because of the increased number of cases as well as the increased public awareness of influenza. 

“However, the Health Ministry is cognisant of this and has taken steps to address the deficit,” Helmy told The Malaysian Insight.

Malaysia has seen a surge in influenza cases and respiratory infections since December. Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the increase of cases is well within the normal range based on previous years’ trends.

Helmy agreed there is a higher volume of patients at his centre.

The demand for the vaccine at private hospitals is partly driven by government policy to make it available only to high-risk patients and frontline health workers at public healthcare facilities.

Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara said it has run out of the flu vaccine.

“Influenza vaccines are currently out of stock at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara. We are in the process of replenishing our stocks.

“To that end, we have received approval to import vaccines and we aim to be able to offer influenza vaccinations again by end January,” it said in a statement to The Malaysian Insight’s queries.

Dr Hilwani Kaharuddin, head of the emergency unit at Ara Damansara Medical Centre (ADMC), said the demand for the vaccine is higher now than in previous years.

“There is definitely a surge in the number of confirmed Influenza cases since November. 

“In our emergency department, the number of patients has doubled. Some also come to emergency to get the influenza vaccine. I think it’s people’s (heightened) awareness of influenza from the media coverage that is also contributing to this,” she said.

“Vaccines are ordered based on previous demand, hence there is currently a mismatch because of the sudden surge in demand. However, the MOH has announced that we will be receiving another batch of vaccines.”

Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad tweeted on Friday that around 100,000 doses of the vaccine will arrive this month. This includes the first batch of 16,800 doses which were to have arrived yesterday. The rest is to arrive on January 20 and 27. He said another 100,000 doses will arrive after that in February.

Hilwani said vaccines are produced in batches in a process that takes months.

“So, if we run out of vaccines worldwide, there is not much we can do.”

November to February is the flu season, although one can catch the infection all year round, she added.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said cases typically spike between July and September or near the year-end.

The virus can mutate and vaccines developed a year ago may not be effective at present because of possible changes in the virus, he said.

“The vaccine is manufactured according to the current type of virus and is usually based on the recommendation of the WHO (World Health Organisation),” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Pharmaceutical companies take six months to manufacture a vaccine which could mean a lag period between the onset of epidemic and the availability of a vaccine.

On how widespread the flu outbreak is, Lee said: “MOH has been so far monitoring outbreaks and we do not monitor individual cases yet. 

“If needed, we will start monitoring cases, including ordinary colds, when the need arises.”

He repeated the call not to panic as the probability of fatalities for influenza patients is eight deaths per 100,000 people. In high-risk groups, the probability is 15 for 100,000 people.

This is lower than the number of fatalities from road accidents at 26 deaths per 100,000, Dr Lee added.

It was reported this week that two babies in Johor tested positive for influenza A.

The Health Ministry has also assured the people that the surge in influenza cases in Malaysia is not related to the outbreak of a novel, SARS-like virus in China, dubbed the Wuhan flu. – January 19, 2020.