The Mum Centre Malaysia Vaccination Guide

All new mothers will be busy adjusting to their fresh role as a mom in the first few weeks following childbirth—and ranked high in her priorities should be ensuring her baby’s health and well-being. This entails having her child vaccinated, and though some vaccines would have already been given even before she can visit her baby in the nursery, most of them are administered weeks after, long after the baby has gone home with his proud parents (and some will be given even later, after he has cut his first tooth!). Your role then, as a mom, is to guarantee that he fulfills his vaccination requirements AND on time, as the time at which the shots are given is very crucial.

Why are immunization shots so important?
 
Vaccines help immunize the human body from certain diseases by introducing the virus, stimulating the body to create antibodies to ward off that very disease. And you know what they say: an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

The standard routine immunization schedule for infants

To provide maximum immunity against the seven vaccine-preventable diseases in the country, the Malaysian government has adopted the following routine. The fully-immunized child must have completed BCG, HiB, Hep B, and MMR vaccines by the time he reaches 18 months of age.

1. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine

Given at birth or some time around birth, this one-shot vaccine is given at the soonest possible time to prevent the possibility of TB meningitis and other TB-related infections to which infants are prone.
 
2. Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoid, Pertussis vaccine, Haemophilus Influenzae vaccine, oral Polio vaccine (HiB)

The combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and polio gives baby and his parents less trips to the doctor and less discomfort than what they would get from five separate shots.

3. Hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B)

Given at birth, with a six-week interval to the second dose and an eight-week interval to the third dose, the Hepatitis B vaccine reduces your baby’s chance of being infected and becoming a carrier. It also prevents liver cirrhosis and liver cancer which are more likely to develop if infected with Hepa B early in life.

4. Measles, mumps, Rubella vaccine (MMR)

The conjugated vaccine for measles, mumps, and German measles (Rubella) are given as your child turns one and is given a booster shot by the time he reaches four.

At a glance

Yearly/optional vaccines

Some diseases have viral strains that renew themselves annually and therefore, if you want your child immunized from these, he has to get the vaccine every year.

There are some vaccines that are not routinely recommended by the government but you might hear your pediatrician persuading you to have your baby get them anyway. Below are some of the yearly or optional vaccines you may choose for your child to get.


1. Flu vaccine

The influenza vaccine may be given to children as young as six months old. Children under eight years get another dose after a month.
 
2. Rotavirus vaccine

The rotavirus is the leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children. Getting this vaccine will ensure that your child will not get the virus.
 
3. Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine

This vaccine is estimated to be about 90% effective in preventing chicken pox in children.

4. Pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine

Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity in children here in the Philippines, with 970 cases in 100,000 children. Getting your child this shot spares him from the risk of getting seriously ill of this lung disease.


Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. We still advise that you consult a pediatrician prior to having your child vaccinated.