Immunisation Schedule in Malaysia

As citizens of Malaysia, we are actually quite blessed in a way, that our healthcare system are covering our general population well, from the newborn to the silver aged individuals. One may be able to pick a lot of faults: the long waiting queue, outdated system, more expensive drugs not available etc. But, I would still say, Malaysian govenment healthcare system has done a great job, especially those who have put their heart and soul, time and energy into making lives better for many.

Among those, I would say Malaysia has a very good vaccination/immunization scheme, especially when it is provided free for all Malaysian citizen.

This is the immunisation schedule by Malaysian government, provided free for all Malaysian citizen.

Again, I couldn't stress it enough that vaccination is indeed important.
If you have missed it, do read also:
What is Vaccine?
Vaccine or Not?

One might find the names of the vaccines "fascinating", or simply downright not understandable. It's alright, as it was not expected of non medical personal to know. But, why not, right?

• BCG: Tuberculosis (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin)
• DTaP: Diptheria, Tetanus, accellular Pertussis
• Hib: Haemophilus influenzae b
• IPV: Inactivated Poliovirus
• MMR: Mumps, Measles, Rubella
• DT: Diptheria, Tetanus
• HPV: Cervical Cancer (Human papillomavirus)

Among these, some you might have heard, and some you might not. It is a good thing that many have not been heard, as that would mean these vaccines are doing a great job. If you are interested, the informations about these viruses/bacterias are readily available across the internet.

These are the chosen ones to be vaccinated, for a few reasons:

1) It's potentially fatal

2) It's very difficult to treat or has a high cost of treatment

3) Has a very high transmission rate with high morbidity

4) It has the potential to cause long term disability or chronic problems

Does that mean, after the vaccination, one can be certain not to contract such disease?

No. All vaccines have its own limit. While some prove to be of 95-100% efficiency, some may be around 70-80%, and some immunity may decrease over time and may require boosters (like tetanus, MMR, Hepatitis B etc). It is also very dependant on individual's immune system. Some may still be affected by the above mentioned/vaccinated diseases, but it will be of a much lesser degree.

Other than the compulsary (yes, compulsary. Don't ask me if one can choose not to, because that would be an unwise and selfish choice) vaccines provided by the government, there are also other recommended immunizations provided by the private clinics/hospitals.

• Pneumoccal (causes meningitis in babies and children) to be given 2 months old onwards
• Rotavirus (causes profuse diarrhea) to be given 2 months old onwards
• Chicken pox (causes chicken pox ~duh) to be given 1 year old onwards
• Hepatitis A (not to be confused with Hepatitis B), currently no stock through out Malaysia as of to date of this article
• Influenza - needed during influenza outbreak and/or travelling to affected countries
• Typhoid (causes infective and contagious gastroenteritis) - required for people serving in food industry

These vaccines are readily available in most hospitals and clinics (except for those that are out of stock)