KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are encouraged to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the seasonal influenza, which has already seen a rise in cases since last month.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr N. Ganabaskaran said vaccinations could help prevent one from catching the virus and spreading it to others.
“Influenza is contagious. Hence vaccinations serve as a precaution and a form of protection.”
Dr Ganabaskaran said children under 2 and adults aged 65 and above were at higher risk of complications from influenza, which included pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma flare-ups, heart problems and ear infections.
“Those in the risk group should be vaccinated to protect against influenza, but in general, Malaysians are encouraged to get vaccinated.”
He said doctors, particularly those in private practice, should be alert to patients coming to their clinics with complaints of influenza-type symptoms, and that any case of influenza should be reported to the authorities.
He said employers should insist on their workers going for medical check-ups if influenza symptoms were detected to prevent other employees from being infected.
On Dec 31, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there was a slight increase in influenza-like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases since the middle of last month.
He, however, denied claims of a drastic increase in the number of influenza infections.
Dr Noor Hisham said based on trends recorded from surveillance, the recorded increase was within the normal range and almost the same as the previous years, and there was no significant increase in the incidence of respiratory tract infections, which was reported over the same period.
Dr Ganabaskaran said MMA lauded the Health Ministry’s move to carry out temperature screening of passengers arriving from Wuhan, China, following the outbreak of unexplained pneumonia in the area.
The ministry’s Disease Control Division (DCD), in a statement on Saturday, said passengers arriving by flights from Wuhan would undergo temperature screening and those suspected of the illness would be referred to the nearest medical facility.
Immunise4Life technical committee chairman Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, when contacted, echoed Dr Ganabaskaran’s views, saying that the public should consider getting the influenza vaccine when they were healthy to prevent catching a bad infection.
He called on Malaysians to practise good hygiene to prevent the spread of seasonal influenza.
“Wash your hands regularly, avoid crowded areas and stay away from sick people.
“(And) if you are not well, stay at home, and wear a mask if you have to go out.
“Use a handkerchief or sneeze and cough onto your shirt sleeve so droplets do not spread to others nearby,” he said, adding that sneeze or cough droplets on tissues should be properly disposed of.
On calls for parents to keep their children away from Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) by the ministry, Dr Zulkifli said: “There is some local association of the use of NSAIDs agents with worsening of a complication of influenza (and some other viral infections) that causes the swelling of the brain.
“Those who get this complication and were on NSAIDs did worse and ended up with a worse prognosis.
“Hence, parents are urged to use paracetamol to reduce the fever and also tepid sponge the febrile child using tap water and not ice water.
“Parents must ensure that the child continues to eat and drink to prevent dehydration.”
On Saturday, in another statement, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry advised against prescribing NSAIDs for children as it could expose them to a higher risk of influenza complications, such as encephalitis.