There have been 329 cases of pertussis or whooping cough reported in Malaysia from January 1 to August 19, with babies under a year old being the most affected. Out of these cases, 219 were locals and the remaining were foreigners. According to Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, 57.4% of the cases involved babies under a year old, while children aged between one and ten accounted for 28.6% of the cases. There have been 23 deaths reported so far due to whooping cough. However, Muhammad Radzi assured that the situation is under control and the number of cases is lower compared to 2019 when 697 cases were recorded. He mentioned that Sabah reported the highest number of cases at 181, followed by Selangor with 51 cases, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with 15 cases each.
The Health Ministry is being vigilant and taking necessary measures to prevent whooping cough from becoming a major health problem. The priority is to ensure that more than 95% of children, especially vulnerable babies, receive immunization against the disease. Vaccination is the key to preventing whooping cough, which is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria and spreads through airborne transmission.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
