Govt to provide free pneumococcal vaccine for young children

 

Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said parents can walk in to public health clinics with their children or make an appointment through the MySejahtera app.

PUTRAJAYA: Children born in 2018 and 2019 will be able to get free pneumococcal vaccinations at all public primary health facilities starting June 1.

Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said this was an expansion programme for pneumococcal immunisation for which children born in 2018 and 2019 had been excluded.

Zaliha said children aged four and five would be given a single dose, compared to babies who are given three doses at four months, six months and 15 months.

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“Parents can walk in to health and village clinics nationwide or make appointments through the MySejahtera app for these jabs,” she said.

The pneumococcal vaccine protects against streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus bacterial infection, which can lead to pneumonia, sinus infection, middle ear infection and meningitis, as well as septicaemia.

She said the ministry began pneumococcal vaccinations as part of the national immunisation programme on Dec 1, 2020, for children born from Jan 1 that year.

Zaliha said the target is to vaccinate 700,000 (70%) children born in 2018 and 2019 within 12 months. - FMT