In a follow-up in the report of a diphtheria fatality in the district of Johor Bahru at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, Malaysian health officials are reporting three more confirmed cases in children and relatives living in the same house as the child that died on Feb. 21.

Image/Malaysia MOH
Image/Malaysia MOH

The four-year-old sister, a four-year-old boy living in the same house and a 15-year-old boy also living in the same house all contracted the serious vaccine-preventable disease. All cases have been hospitalized and stable and one patient has already been released from the hospital.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is emphasizing the importance of vaccinations for diphtheria, measles, pertussis and other infectious diseases.

MOH urges parents to keep their children immunized on schedule set by the Ministry of Health. For children who have fell behind with their vaccinations, immunization services can be obtained at any of the nearest health facilities.