Dead boy's mum sad he didn't finish vaccination/ Sabah to raise awereness of importance of vaccination

Monday, July 11, 2016

By Olivia Miwil

Pictures by Olivia Miwil

DIPHTERIA: She says she couldn't take him to clinic when she got a job

By Olivia Miwil

olivia@nst.com.my
Pictures by Olivia MiwilKOTA KINABALU: Had she known the consequences, Julina Nurnapsi would probably have made the effort to complete her son’s immunisation schedule.

Her son, Amirul Jaafar died at the age of four on June 27 because of diphtheria, a bacterial infection that could have been prevented if he was vaccinated in full.

What made it more painful was the 43-year-old mother of five had actually brought Amirul for a few vaccinations according to a schedule given by the hospital after she gave birth to him. He was her fourth child.

“I am always busy at work, could not cope up with things and I remembered bringing him to several injections but I don’t know what they were for,” said Julina who was hesitant at first in revealing what had happened but relented as she spoke of her regret in not finding time to keep the schedule.

Ignorance because of the lack of awareness on the importance of vaccination is among the main reason for fatalities that could have been prevented by scheduled inoculation after birth.

Amirul of Kampung Mansiang, Menggatal here was the first victim in Sabah and third in the country since last month.

He contracted diphtheria, a bacterial infection that affects the mucous membranes of the throat and nose or even airway which can cause complications such as inflammation of the heart, paralysis or kidney failure.

When met at her wooden home at a workers quarters Julina told, Amirul had fever for two days and later had breathing difficulties before she sent her to the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital here.

Despite all the efforts taken by the hospital, Amirul succumbed to the disease eight days later.

“When I was told he had contracted this disease (diphtheria) I was shocked especially when the doctors told me it would infect children who were not immunised. 

“I remember sending Amirul for injections at the health clinic (in Menggatal) up until he was about four months but stopped because I started working to support the family.”

Julina works as a kitchen helper at the Federal Special Task Force temporary detention centre for immigrants and earns a meagre RM900 per month.

While at work Amirul and her youngest child, Zarun who is three, were taken care of by her teenage daughter.

Now Julina’s worry is on Zarun who was last vaccinated when he was eight months old.

Having gone through a series of tests, followed with investigative visits by the health authorities after Amirul contracted diphtheria, Julina is more aware of the risks to her family.

She also knows the living environment her family are in at the workers quarters was not the best of conditions to prevent such a disease from taking another life.

The closely built houses, each about the size of a badminton court, and poor sanitation could increase the chances of the disease spreading as the bacteria spread from person to person through respiratory droplets such as coughing or sneezing.

Posters pasted on the walls of the wooden homes at the quarters by health officers tells of the health risk the residents there face especially their children.

It may be too late for Amirul but the race is on to ensure its not for others who are yet to be immunised.

KOTA KINABALU: Three diphtheria related deaths has prompted the health authorities in Sabah to raise the awareness level on the importance of completing the immunisation schedule for children.

In Sabah, the inoculation schedule prepared by government hospitals for children up to 18-month-old are on Bacille Calmette Guerin or BCG immunisation, Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, Haemophilus influenzae type B, mumps and rubella.

As of July 4, there have been five fatalities and 14 cases of diphtheria in the country according to Health director general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

In Sabah there were four cases with three deaths, Kedah with six cases and one death while Malacca had three cases with one death.

Unlike in Sabah where the cases are sporadic, in Kedah and Melaka, the cases involved children whose parents refused vaccination.

The three fatalities include a child who live in workers quarters at Kampung Mansiang, Menggatal here.

State Health department director Dr Christina Rundi said there were unlikely to be any organised movements opposing vaccination programmes in Sabah.

“If there is any, they may have been influenced by groups from Peninsular Malaysia. Thus far diphtheria cases in Sabah are sporadic and not considered as an outbreak but we are on alert following the deaths," she said.

In its case study on the death of Amirul Jaafar on June 27, the first diphtheria fatality in Sabah and third in the country, the health authorities found the lack of awareness on the importance of completing the vaccination schedule as one of the main reason.

Amirul had received several vaccinations only until he was four months old.

On the part of the Health department, its officers were put on alert following confirmation of Amirul’s case when he was diagnosed with diphtheria following his admission to the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital here.

Rundi said surveillance activities were increased across the state to be on the lookout for similar cases.

Mopping up operations were also conducted at all the locations where those infected with the disease lived.

As of June 25, state health epidemiology bulletin recorded 115 measles and seven whooping cough cases which both are categorised under vaccine preventable diseases.