THE Health Ministry has recently announced that pregnant women in Malaysia can receive the Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine against pertussis for free starting next year¹.
Pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, is an acute respiratory tract infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria².
It is a highly contagious disease that poses significant risks, particularly for infants.
It presents symptoms similar to a respiratory infection and may include a 'whooping' sound after a burst of cough.
However, some babies may not cough at all. Instead, they may struggle to breathe or develop apnea, which is life-threatening.
According to consultant fetomaternal medicine Professor Dr Jamiyah Hassan, pertussis is becoming a rising concern among newborns and infants.
While the World Health Organization's Expanded Programme on Immunisation initially reduced the number of global pertussis cases, the disease is now reemerging due to waning immunity and vaccine refusal or delay³.
As of Aug 23, the number of pertussis cases has risen to 343 cases. 173 (50.4 per cent) of these cases involved babies under five months with 19 fatalities⁴.
PROTECTING NEWBORNS AND INFANTS
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that vaccination is an effective way to prevent pertussis. Currently, babies in Malaysia are given the pertussis vaccine at the ages of two, three and five months old, with a booster jab at 18 months.
However, many of the pertussis cases in Malaysia involve babies below five months old who have not completed three doses of the primary pertussis vaccine.
In addition, infants below three months of age without a pertussis vaccine remain vulnerable.
Therefore, Dr Zaliha said that administering the Tdap vaccine to pregnant women will protect babies, starting from the womb to birth until they receive all three pertussis vaccine doses by the age of five months.
"The implementation is expected to begin in 2024 after the procurement of the Tdap vaccine has been completed and the supply is made available at the ministry's health facilities nationwide.
"More information will be announced from time to time," she said.
The Health Minister added that once it is implemented, all pregnant women, including non-citizens, will receive a free dose of the Tdap vaccine during the second or third trimester of the pregnancy (between 13 and 36 weeks of pregnancy) at all Health Ministry health facilities nationwide⁵.
In a statement made earlier in May, Dr Zaliha said that in the meantime, pregnant women can get vaccinations from private facilities that provide them for a fee.
Learn about the importance of vaccinations here.
References:
¹Tdap for pregnant women starting next year, Aug 28, 2023, NST: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/08/948322/tdap-pregnant-women-st...
²5 Things to Know About Whooping Cough, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/fast-facts.html
³Juliana Mansor, Halim Ismail, Noriah Ismail. Determinants of Pertussis among Young Children in Selangor, Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana 50(2)(2021): 437-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5002-15. https://www.ukm.my/jsm/pdf_files/SM-PDF-50-2-2021/15.pdf. Accessed 18 July 2023.
⁴Tdap for pregnant women starting next year, Aug 28, 2023, NST: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/08/948322/tdap-pregnant-women-starting-next-year
⁵Free Tdap Vaccination For All Pregnant Women From Next Year - Dr Zaliha, Aug 28, 2023, Bernama: https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2220496
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