The Malaysian Ministry of Health reports there is much anti-vaccine propaganda on social media, which is influencing the public to reject life-saving vaccinations based on bad information.

Image/Malaysia MOH
Image/Malaysia MOH

The Ministry of Health monitoring found that mothers who refused to give vaccines to their children after being affected by inappropriate information was disseminated is on the rise.

The number of rejection vaccines recorded in royal clinics continued to increase, compared to 637 cases in 2013 to 1,603 cases in 2016.

Clearly, vaccine-preventable diseases have increased in this country, where the incidence of measles has increased compared to 195 cases in 2013 to 1,934 cases in 2018, which is an increase of 891.8% for the 5-year period. The number of cases of measles fever that has no immunization has increased compared to 125 cases (68.7%) in 2013 to 1,467 cases (75.9%) in 2018.

In 2018, the Ministry produced six (6) measles deaths in which all cases had no immunization, five (5) diphtheria deaths in which four (4) cases had no immunization, when 22 deaths due to pertussis, in which 19 cases were missing immunization. Provision of immunization can prevent these diseases and reduce complications that may bring death.

At this time, the National Immunization Program was able to prevent 12 types of infectious diseases caused by certain bacteria and viruses.

Malaysia has succeeded in reducing childhood mortality by 85% for the 1970s to 2017, compared to 55.9 deaths for every 1,000 live births to only 8.4 deaths for every 1,000 live births.

The Ministry calls on the public to follow the National Immunization Schedule and not to believe in untrue propaganda regarding vaccines which were touted on social media. In addition, they call on health practitioners to help in the effort to increase acceptance of immunization.