FROM tomorrow until May 31, 2024, children born between 2018 and 2019 will be able to get free pneumococcal vaccinations at all Health Ministry (MOH) primary facilities. 

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said it was an expansion programme for pneumococcal immunisation as children born in that period were previously not included in the target group for pneumococcal vaccination under the National Immunisation Programme. 

In a press conference after officiating the National-Level Immunisation Day 2023 celebration, Zaliha said children aged four and five would be given a single dose of the vaccine while babies are given three doses – at four months, six months, and 15 months. 

“Parents or guardians who want to get the pneumococcal vaccination for their children can do walk-ins at health and village clinics nationwide or by making appointments via the MySejahtera application,” she said. 

The pneumococcal vaccine protects against the Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus bacterial infection.

Among the diseases caused by the bacteria are pneumonia, sinus infection, middle ear infection, and meningitis, as well as septicaemia. 

Complications of pneumococcal disease include hearing impairment and brain damage, which could lead to death. 

MOH began administering pneumococcal vaccination in the National Immunisation Programme on December 1, 2020 for children born on January 1, 2020 onwards. 

Zaliha said the MOH has targetted a total of 700,000 or 70% of one million children born between 2018 and 2019 to be given the pneumococcal vaccine. 

Meanwhile, under the National Immunisation Programme for infants and children, there are 11 types of vaccine products given to prevent 13 vaccine-preventable diseases, namely tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type-B, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, she said. 

For female students aged 13, the human papillomavirus vaccine will be given while in Sarawak, the Japanese encephalitis vaccine will also be given, she added.  

“Now the success of immunisation coverage for infants and children is high at the national level and has reached the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is more than 95% for most of the main vaccines in the immunisation programme. This achievement has also been certified by the WHO,” she said. – Bernama, May 31, 2023.