Ask Our Experts: Vaccinations

“Are there any serious ramifications for missing any scheduled immunizations or being late for them? My husband, who is from New Zealand, has this opinion that Malaysian babies get too many injections and not all of them are necessary! Hence, he makes a fuss when it’s time for my 14-month old son to get his injections! Your advice will be appreciated!”

The purpose of vaccinations/immunizations is to prevent the diseases caused by viruses or bacteria. History had proven that vaccination is the most cost effective method in combating an infection. The vaccines coverage and schedules vary from one country to another depending on the burden of the disease of that particular country. Therefore, there will be slight differences between Malaysia’s vaccination schedule as compared to New Zealand’s or other developed countries. For example, BCG vaccination is not compulsory in New Zealand but it is mandatory here as Malaysia, for we are located in the region with a high incidence of tuberculosis.

In Malaysia, there are two categories of vaccines i.e. compulsory and optional vaccines. The compulsory vaccines are those vaccines that are covered under the NIP (National Immunization Program), which will be given to all children born in Malaysia. Whereas, the optional vaccines are equally important vaccines and well recommended but are not yet being listed under the Malaysian’s NIP. Both mandatory and optional vaccines coverage in Malaysia are fairly similar with all neighboring countries in South East Asia based on the high burden of the disease in this region. If you are living in the region with high incidences of certain infectious diseases and are not vaccinated, then you are at risk of contacting the disease, which may potentially lead to serious complications.

Therefore, it is advisable to not delay scheduled immunizations in order to optimize the protection the vaccines provide. However, it is not a major concern if you delay your child’s vaccination just because he or she is unwell, for you can always catch up the vaccination schedule once your child is well again. As the old saying goes, prevention is always better than cure and better late than never.