KUALA LUMPUR: Medical health practitioners have warned that the influenza virus can be fatal as it can cause pulmonary complications and brain injury.
Paediatrician and neonatologist Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin said the virus could attack the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumococcal pneumonia, which could cause respiratory system failure.
“In 2009, during the (H1N1) influenza pandemic, 77 patients died. The influenza screening rate that year was only at 18 per cent. However, last year, the rate had gone up to 21 per cent, more than twice the rates of 2016 to 2018 (10 per cent),” he said.
“So we can see that more people had been infected by influenza.”
He said other life-threatening complications linked to influenza were respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia, and heart infections, such as myocarditis, which could lead to heart failure.
However, he said, if complications were detected early, appropriate treatment, including using antibiotics, influenza anti-viral drugs and oxygen and respiratory aids, could lower the risk of death.
He advised Malaysians who had a high risk of being infected with influenza to get vaccinated, especially those aged 5 and below, senior citizens above 65 and pregnant women.
“People with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and kidney failure, as well as health and medical workers and umrah and haj pilgrims, are also advised to get vaccinated.
“Many parents are not aware of or not taking the epidemic seriously.
“To make matters worse, anti-vaccine groups are accusing us of blowing the influenza issue out of proportion to boost vaccine sales.
“Anti-vaccine groups say the vaccines are harmful, but influenza can cause a type of nerve disease known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which weakens the nerves in the foot and chest. The possibility of contracting the disease without vaccination is 17 in a million. Whereas, with the influenza vaccine, the chances are only one in a million.
“Anti-vaccine groups spread rumours that are not supported by scientific facts.”
Paediatric specialist Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail said deaths among influenza patients were due to bacterial infections, such as pneumococcal, streptococcal pyogenes or mycoplasma infections.
He said influenza weakened the immune system and damaged the respiratory tract.
“When the immune system is weak, it makes the patient more vulnerable to bacterial infection, which can spread through the lungs, blood or brain.
“On top of getting the vaccine, one should also practise good hygiene by washing your hands frequently, keeping away from sickly people, using face masks, covering the mouth and nose every time one coughs or sneezes and avoiding crowds.”