SANDAKAN – Sabah aims to have 11.3% of children under 13 in the state complete four doses of the oral polio vaccination, achieving 95% total immunisation.
The state Health Department said 98.2% and 96% of Sabahan children have taken the first and second doses of the bOPV polio vaccine, respectively.
The 95% target, said the Health Ministry, will contain the spread of the disease.
However, only 89.4% and 83.7% of children in the state have had the third and fourth doses, respectively.
The figure does not include undocumented children.
Sandakan district health officer Dr Johari Awang Besar expressed concern about the high number of children who have yet to complete the vaccination.
As of October 31, there were 5,471 children under 13 in Sandakan who are three doses behind.
Johari said 89% of these children have yet to take the second dose, and only 67,206 in Sandakan have completed all four doses.
Worrying return of disease
The first polio case in Malaysia after 27 years was detected in Tuaran on December 8 last year, involving a 3-month-old baby boy.
The Sabah Health Department then launched a statewide immunisation campaign on December 27. Children aged 5 and below were required to take the vaccine.
The vaccination includes two doses of Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) Types 1 and 3, which are administered with about a two-week gap, and through an oral drip.
However, the age limit for children receiving vaccine has risen to include those below 13.
This came about after an 11-year-old tested positive for polio at the Tungku Estate is Kinabatangan on January 9.
Another two cases involved an 8-year-old boy in Kg Istimewa here and a 3-year-old boy in the same district.
All never received polio vaccinations.
According to the Health Ministry, testing has shown that the virus from the case in Tuaran was genetically linked to the one circulating in southern Philippines at the time.
The ministry has added two doses of the Monovalent Oral Polio Type 2 vaccination, to be taken after two doses of bOPV.
Even though all babies in Malaysia have been administered the compulsory polio vaccine at the age of 2, 3, 5 and 18 months, the ministry is not taking any risks following the cases in Sabah.
Malaysia was declared polio-free in 2000 after recording its last case in 1992.
Polio is a viral disease that has no cure, and can only be prevented through vaccination.
The virus transmits through the mouth, infecting mostly children. It can cause permanent paralysis of the arms, legs and muscles used for breathing.
The oral polio vaccination given to children now is said to work faster than the compulsory one given to babies through injection. – The Vibes, November 8, 2020
