No shortage of flu vaccines: MoH platform brushes aside allegations

KUALA LUMPUR – A Health Ministry platform has disputed allegations of an influenza vaccine shortage, following widespread rumours on social media after an anonymous doctor claimed to have received a memo from a supplier detailing that the medicine will only be available in 2024.

Immunise4Life technical committee chairman Prof Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail clarified that the inability of one supplier to provide the flu vaccines does not reflect the true situation on the ground. 

“Flu vaccines are actually available in many clinics and hospitals nationwide,” he said in a statement today, lamenting how news media organisations that had reported on the anonymous doctor’s claim had failed to confirm the allegation with local health centres. 

“The media would have discovered this (availability of flu vaccines) if they had checked with a few clinics instead of merely quoting the unnamed source,” the consultant paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist at KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital opined. 

He also advised the public – especially pregnant women, young children, people with chronic health conditions, and the elderly – to obtain their annual flu shot, noting that flu cases have recently spiked around the country. 

“These high-risk groups are susceptible to severe flu, which may result in acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, multi-organ failure and even death,” he warned, further urging the public to continue practicing standard operating procedures which can help reduce the risk of catching Covid-19 and the flu. 

Established in 2013, Immunise4Life is a collaborative effort among the Health Ministry, the Malaysian Paediatric Association and the Malaysian Society of Infectious Diseases and Chemotherapy to promote immunisation and address issues surrounding vaccine hesitancy. 

On Tuesday (July 19), Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced in the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry will be releasing parts of its stockpile for common illnesses to the private sector, amid severe shortages in the industry. 

He added that private health facilities are struggling to cope with high public demand of late, supposedly due to the spread of seasonal influenza. 

Last month, Khairy said that the medicine supply shortage, especially at certain pharmacies and private health facilities, is not due to panic-buying by members of the public. 

Instead, he said that the situation can be attributed to high demand for certain medications following the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 recently, as well as the current rising cases of hand, foot and mouth disease. – The Vibes, July 22, 2022