November 17, 2009 20:37 PM

New Immunisation Schedule And New Vaccine Use Expanded

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Nov (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry is expanding the use of the new immunisation schedule and the new inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) to the whole country beginning with babies born in January next year in its efforts to implement the national immunisation programme to be efficient and effective.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said the implementation of the new vaccine will be expanded to Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor, and the babies will be given booster vaccine dose DTap-IPV/ Hib beginning June 2011.

"We hope that with the implementation of an efficient and effective programme and high vaccination coverage, the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases among babies and children will be reduced and deaths prevented," he said in a statement here Tuesday.

Dr Ismail said the use of the combination schedule will be implemented at all rural clinics, health clinics and hospitals under the ministry.

In that regard he asked all private clinics and hospitals and other government agencies to take steps to enhance the immunisation programme.

Dr Ismail explained that the IPV was used to replace the oral polio vaccine (OPV) since February 2008 after the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for its use in countries that were free of poliomyelitis.

Malaysia was declared free of poliomyelitis since October 2000 together with other countries in the Asia Pacific region.

-- BERNAMA

We provide (subscription-based) 
news coverage in our Newswire service.