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Showing posts with label vaccination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaccination. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2024

Keeping the virus at bay; Beware the influenza bug, Get the flu vax to stay active again, Protect your workforce during flu season, businesses urged

 

Stay safe and alert: People wearing face masks to protect themselves in George Town. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star

Keeping the virus at bay

The monsoon season may bring an increase in influenza cases, even in tropical Malaysia. Get vaccinated to avoid contracting the highly contagious virus, say health experts. Business operators, meanwhile, want a safe workplace and to allow flexible options for their staff.

GEORGE TOWN: While the influenza virus tends to thrive during the colder months in countries with four seasons, tropical nations like Malaysia could still face a potential outbreak, says a virologist with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

“Increased rainfall towards the end of the year, particularly in several states across Malaysia recently, often correlates with a rise in influenza cases,” said Dr Kumitaa Theva Das.

With the influenza virus constantly evolving, she noted that medical experts have recommended annual vaccinations to protect against the latest virus strains.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends people take the flu jab once every year, in February for those living in the Northern Hemisphere and in September for people in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dr Kumitaa said a common misconception is that influenza, often referred to as the “flu”, is no different from the common cold.

“In reality, influenza is a far more severe respiratory infection that can be life-threatening, especially for the high-risk groups.

“While cold symptoms are usually mild, influenza presents with more intense symptoms, including fever, severe muscle aches and extreme fatigue.

“In some serious cases, individuals may even experience chest pain, shortness of breath and loss of consciousness,” said Dr Kumitaa.

The Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (Informm) senior lecturer added that some people are particularly susceptible to contracting influenza.

Young children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions and those with weakened immune systems are all considered to be in the high-risk group, she noted.

“Because their immune systems are either still developing or less resilient, these individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing severe complications from the virus,” she explained.

She also said that influenza is highly contagious, especially during the initial stages when the symptoms begin to show.

An infected person can spread the virus through droplets released when they cough or sneeze, making close-contact environments such as schools and public transportation a prime setting for transmission, she added.

Public health specialist Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said influenza could cause pneumonia, adding that pneumonia is one of the leading causes of deaths in the country, especially among women and the elderly.

“Hence vaccinations against influenza are very important, especially among the high-risk groups such as the elderly, young children, disabled, homeless and immune-compromised people like diabetics and cancer patients.

“It could be dangerous for those in the high-risk categories because it could lead to lung complications,” she said.

Dr Sharifa Ezat also urged the government to increase allocations for flu vaccinations, given that they may be costly for the low-income groups.

USM family medicine specialist Dr Mastura Mohd Sopian said certain groups of people, including health workers and infants younger than six months, are at greater risk of developing severe symptoms and complications.

She, too, reminded the public that vaccination is one of the most effective measures against influenza.

There are other simple practices that can help reduce the risk of infection.

“Wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the chance of infection.

“Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as the virus can enter the body through these areas.

“Wear a mask in crowded places or if you are experiencing symptoms. Try to limit contact with individuals who are symptomatic to minimise exposure,” advised Dr Mastura.

Beware the influenza bug

GEORGE TOWN: Achoo! It’s the flu season, and the virus is making its rounds looking for new carriers during this monsoon season.With cases of influenza A or B on the rise, experts are warning of an outbreak as the virus is highly contagious and prone to spreading during the cold climate.

The common symptoms are high fever, body aches, cough or flu, and nobody is safe from the virus unless one is vaccinated.

ALSO READ: Get the flu vax to stay active again

Civil servant K. Charles, 38, was out for lunch when he suddenly felt extremely tired and had shortness of breath.“The feeling was like I got hit by a truck and could not continue riding my bike,” he said.

Charles stopped by the roadside to call his father, who then rushed over and sent him to the hospital.

“I was in bed for five days with a high fever and body aches.

“My test result came back positive for influenza A, which the doctors say is highly infectious and more severe than influenza B.“I was given antiviral drugs for the next few days. I lost my appetite and the doctor put me on intravenous (IV) drips.”

Charles said that after he recovered, he promptly went to take a flu jab.

ALSO READ: Protect your workforce during flu season, businesses urged

Jessie Lim, a clerk, 43, said she accompanied her son Jason Lee, 23, to a private clinic after he complained about feeling feverish and having body aches.

“At first, I thought he was merely having a fever, but to my surprise, his test showed that he had contracted influenza A.

“He was prescribed antibiotics and paracetamols and told to rest and take more fluids,” she said.

As the disease is highly contagious, Lim said everyone in her family wore masks to contain the spread of the virus and kept her son isolated.

Her anxiety did not end there, as Lim’s 76-year-old mother, who lives with them, also came down with fever, flu and cough.

“I was so worried, thinking that the virus had spread among our family members.

“Luckily, my mother later tested negative for influenza A or B. Both of them recovered after a few days.

“A week later, I took both my son and my mum to a clinic to get the flu vaccines for a whole year’s protection,” she said, adding that she herself had gotten vaccinated against the flu earlier.

Imran Hilmy, who works in the media, was not ready to put his eight-year-old daughter’s life on the line again after she recovered from Covid-19.

“When Maryam and her mother contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic, it was really painful for me to see both of them suffer through it.

“With the influenza season raging now, I did not think twice about getting my daughter vaccinated.

“She needs a boost to her immune system, especially during these colder months when both the flu virus and other respiratory illnesses tend to rise,” he said.

General practitoner Dr BS Goh said people of any age can catch the influenza virus.

The viruses that circulate widely in humans are the influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, along with influenza B, he said.

“Annual vaccination is recommended as this is the primary and most effective way to prevent influenza and influenza-related complications.”

Dr Goh also advised holidaymakers planning to travel to places with colder climates to get the flu jabs before leaving to avoid falling sick later.

Penang health committee chairman Danial Gooi said staying vaccinated will not only protect individuals but also help safeguard the vulnerable folk within the community.

“Parents, too, should be attentive and refrain from sending their children to daycare centres, kindergartens or schools if they are ill,” he added.

Gooi revealed that the cumulative number of influenza clusters in Penang rose to 27 by epidemic week (EW) 41 this year, up from 21 during the same period last year.However, he said the consultation rate for influenza-like illness (ILI) in EW 41 this year had seen a slight decrease from 8.4% in 2023 to 5.4% this year.

“Although the number of cases per influenza outbreak has shown a significant decline with no serious cases detected in any of the outbreaks, the public still needs to be vigilant about their health and seek immediate treatment if they feel unwell,” he said.

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Get the flu vax to stay active again

Protect your workforce during flu season, businesses urged

Monday, December 18, 2023

Protect yourself and your community from disease; Remember to wash your hands

Getting vaccinated is not just about ensuring you don’t fall ill, but also about saving those around you from getting sick.


— Graphics: Positive Parenting This is how an infectious disease with an r-naught of four spreads from one patient.

herd immunity




VACCINATION directly protects individuals who are vaccinated against certain infections, but it can also provide indirect protection to the unvaccinated in a population.

This is what we call herd immunity or community immunity. It is a key aspect of epidemic control.

To understand herd immunity, we need to be familiar with certain terms.

Firstly, we have to know the infectiousness of a disease, indicated by its basic reproduction number (R-naught or R0).

This can be defined as the expected number of new infections generated by one infectious individual in a fully vulnerable population without any control measures.

For example, an infectious disease with an R-naught of four means that one case is expected to generate four other cases.

The higher the R-naught, the more infectious the disease is.

Each infectious disease has its own R-naught and it may vary across populations and over time, depending on various factors.

The R-naught in turn determines the herd immunity threshold (HIT), which is the minimum level of vaccination coverage or minimum number of immune individuals in a population that must be achieved to produce herd immunity against a certain infection.

An easy way to calculate HIT is by using this equation: HIT = 1 – 1/R-naught.

Hence, to achieve herd immunity against a disease with R-naught of four, at least 3/4 or 75% of the population have to be immunised.

This calculation assumes that susceptible and infectious individuals in a population are equally in contact with one another and spread the infection in the same way.

From this, we can deduce that the more infectious the disease, the higher the R-naught, and thus, the higher the HIT, and the more the people that need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity in a population.

When enough people are vaccinated against a particular disease, they will be able to ‘protect’ those who are unable to be vaccinated from those who are infected.

For optimal benefit


Various other factors play crucial roles to ensure that optimal herd immunity can be achieved via vaccination.

They include:

> High vaccine effectiveness


This is key to attaining optimal herd immunity.

Vaccine effectiveness varies between different populations and regions.

However, not all vaccines stimulate lifelong immunity and this may decrease herd immunity over time.

The effect of waning immunity can be mitigated by increasing vaccination coverage or taking booster shots. >

Reduced transmission potential (or force of infection)

Vaccination efforts need to target the main reservoir of infection, i.e. groups who are most likely to get and spread the infection.

Low vaccine coverage among these groups may compromise herd immunity, even though overall coverage is high.

This also depends on the route of transmission of the pathogen.

> Appropriate vaccine uptake

Optimal herd immunity is more likely to be achieved when vaccine coverage is at the higher end of the HIT.

Another important factor is appropriate distribution patterns.

This can be achieved by targeting those who are highly exposed to the infection (e.g. healthcare workers) and vulnerable populations (e.g. infants and the elderly).

The timeliness in receiving the vaccine also impacts the effectiveness of the vaccination programme, and thus, herd immunity.

For example, in the United Kingdom, the occurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease in unvaccinated adults aged over 65 years has been reduced by 81% after the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was included as part of routine immunisation for infants under two years old.

Protecting the vulnerable

The best-case scenario is to have 100% vaccine effectiveness and coverage, but the reality is far from perfect.

No vaccine is 100% effective, and there are people who cannot get vaccinated or do not elicit strong immune responses from vaccines.

These include newborns, people allergic to certain vaccines, people with weakened or failing immune systems, or elderly with chronic diseases.

This is where herd immunity comes into play, providing indirect protection to these groups.

Optimal herd immunity via vaccination also counteracts waning immunity.

Protection with certain vaccines can diminish with time, e.g. pertussis vaccination starts to weaken after two years.

Thus, people with waning immunity are exposed to infection unless herd immunity is strong and vaccine uptake is sustained.

Apart from the vulnerable population, the following groups of people should also get vaccinated:

> Families and close contacts of those considered as vulnerable

> Caregivers of children, elderly

and sick patients > Healthcare or hospital workers.

When you get yourself vaccinated, you’re not only protecting yourself, but also your loved ones and other vulnerable individuals in the population.

As you can see now, vaccination is crucial and the safest way to achieve optimal herd immunity!


 Datuk Dr Musa Mohd  a paediatrician and Universiti Putra Malaysia lecturer. Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin is a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist. This article is courtesy of the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s Positive Parenting programme in collaboration with expert partners. For further information, please email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

The Star Malaysia17 Dec 2023By Dr HUSNA MUSA and Datuk Dr MUSA MOHD NORDIN
By Dr HUSNA MUSA and Datuk Dr MUSA MOHD NORDIN

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/12/17/remember-to-wash-your-hands