STUDY ON WHY VACCINATED ADULTS STILL GET DIPHTHERIA
PUZZLE: IMR to find out why people who have been vaccinated still catch the sickness
THE Institute for Medical Research (IMR) has been tasked with finding out why those who have been vaccinated were still infected with diphtheria.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said IMR had taken samples from diphtheria patients to study if there was a new strain of the bacteria causing the disease.
“We want to know why some of those who have been vaccinated are still getting the disease,” he said on the sidelines of the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage Conference yesterday.
Present were Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and his deputy, Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman.
Dr Subramaniam said the ministry was concerned with the rising number of cases and urged doctors in the public and private sectors to be vigilant for any diphtherialike symptoms, such as sore throat and coughing.
“If patients are not showing signs of recovering, refer the cases to hospitals so that early treatment can be given. Diphtheria is responsive to antibiotics, but treatment must start early.”
Dr Noor Hisham said 24 cases of diphtheria had been confirmed, with five deaths.
He said nine new cases were recorded between Monday and Thursday, with six cases in Negri Sembilan; two in Penang and one in Selangor.
Two healthcare workers in Negri Sembilan who were infected had had their vaccinations and were healthy adults before they fell sick, said Dr Noor Hisham.
In total, there are eight cases with one fatality in Kedah; Negri Sembilan has seven cases with no fatalities; Sabah has four cases with three deaths; Malacca has three cases with one death and Penang has two cases with no fatality.
So far, only three adults have been reported to be infected with diphteria, all of them in Negri Sembilan.
Dr Lokman also said those who had been vaccinated did not display severe symptoms, and had responded well to antibiotics without the need for the diphtheria anti-toxin.
In Kuala Lumpur, Health deputy director-general (Medical) Datuk Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai said the resurgence of diphtheria in adults was a concern.
“Before this, if you were vaccinated as a child, you would be safe from the bacteria as an adult. Now, even vaccinated adults have caught the virus.”
Dr Jeyaindran said it was puzzling that Malaysia, which had a good healthcare system, could face a problem in curbing the disease.
“We are getting a pool of people who were not vaccinated. We suspect this pool to be the cause of reduction of the herd immunity, which keeps diseases under control.”
He said another possibility was that adults with diphtheria had other diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney complications, which could reduce their immunity.