THE Health Ministry (MOH) is investigating the cause of pertussis (whooping cough) infection between a mother and her two children in Kampung Bahagia, Rompin, Pahang, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said.

She said initial checks found the infection began from the mother, but further investigations were still ongoing.

“Pertussis is present in the country and it has been classified as endemic,” she told the media after the signing of a Note of Understanding on strategic cooperation in health and firefighting between MOH and the Local Government Development Ministry in Putrajaya today.

Meanwhile, Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, in a statement today, said the three patients had been given treatment and were in stable condition.

“As of now, no new cases have been detected in the area where the patients live,” he said in a statement issued on the status of pertussis cases in Malaysia as of August 19.”

He said a total of 329 pertussis cases with 23 deaths had been reported nationwide as of August 19, which was a 52.8% decrease from the same period in 2019.

Radzi said of the 329 pertussis cases reported this year, 219 cases or 66.6% involved Malaysians while the remaining 110 cases were of foreigners.

He said those aged below 12 months made up the highest number of cases with 189.

“Although the infection is under control, the MOH remains vigilant and takes appropriate measures to ensure it does not become a major health problem in the country.

“The MOH’s priority is to ensure that pertussis immunisation coverage among children in the country remains above 95% to protect them from infection,” he said, adding that infants were the most vulnerable to the disease.

In Malaysia, the vaccine for pertussis is given routinely to babies at the age of two, three, five and 18 months. It is given in the form of a six-in-one vaccine covering diphtheria,  tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Urging parents to ensure their children get complete immunisation according to the National Immunisation Schedule, Radzi said children who had missed any jabs could have them administered at a nearby health clinic.

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, with germs spread through the air when a patient sneezes or coughs and infects the mouth, nose and throat.

The typical symptoms of pertussis is a cough that lasts for one to two weeks, which could extend for up to two months.

Severe complications such as pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), encephalopathy (inflammation of the brain) and death could also occur if early treatment is not administered. – Bernama, August 22, 2023.