STARTING next year, all pregnant women in the country, including non-citizens, will receive the tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for free, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said.

She said this initiative, involving an annual allocation of RM25 million for an estimated 500,000 pregnant women yearly, is aimed at reducing the risk of pertussis (whooping cough) infection, especially among babies below five months.

She said in a statement today that the vaccination would begin when the vaccine is available at Health Ministry facilities nationwide.

“Once implemented, all pregnant women, including non-citizens, will be given a dose of the Tdap vaccine for free in the second or third trimester of pregnancy (between the 13th to 36th week of pregnancy) at the ministry’s premier health facilities around the country,” she said.

Zaliha said administering the Tdap vaccine to pregnant women the vaccination would give protection to the foetus until the baby is born, and until they can complete three primary doses of the pertussis vaccine at the age of five months.

She also said babies below five months form the group with the highest risk of contracting pertussis and experiencing complications arising from diseases such as pneumonia, encephalopathy and leading even to death.

Zaliha said this happens because the antibodies in a baby’s body will only reach an optimal level of protection when the baby has received three doses of the pertussis vaccine given under the National Immunisation Programme at the age of five months.

Until August 23, she said 343 cases of pertussis, with 24 deaths, were recorded in the country.

From the 343 cases, 172 (50.4%) were infants under the age of five months. Of the 24 deaths recorded, 19 were infants under the age of five months. – Bernama, August 28, 2023.