GEORGE TOWN: Parents should not hesitate to bring their children for free Measles-Rubella vaccinations during the ongoing state immunisation drive.
State Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen confirmed the programme targets children aged six to fifty nine months born between August 2020 and January 2025.
“Measles and Rubella are highly contagious diseases and can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), seizures, and, in worst cases, death.
“Getting vaccinated is crucial for early protection and preventing the spread of these diseases, so I urge parents and guardians to immediately bring their eligible children to receive the additional dose of the MR vaccine provided free of charge.”
The initiative supports Malaysia’s goal to eliminate measles by 2030 through increased herd immunity.
National statistics revealed a near doubling of cases from two thousand two in 2023 to three thousand seven hundred ninety one last year.
Three child deaths occurred in 2024 among unvaccinated patients according to official data.
Penang recorded eighty four cases this year compared to just twenty cases throughout the previous year.
Twenty four cases emerged as of July twenty sixth with nearly half linked to incomplete immunisation status.
The state health department aims to vaccinate sixty five thousand five hundred children but only reached nineteen thousand six hundred by August nineteenth.
“Slots can be booked via the MySejahtera application or by walking into government health clinics.”
Mobile teams will visit kindergartens, community centres, and non-citizen settlements to ensure comprehensive coverage. – Bernama