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This Spotlight is sponsored by the Ministry of Health.
The survey ran from 8 October to 9 November, garnering a total of 4,068 respondents.
Nowadays, most people are at least aware of vaccines and their importance, not just for COVID-19, but for various other illnesses too. This is in part thanks to the recent nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme.
19.4% of respondents said that children do not need to be vaccinated, while 17.8% of respondents were unsure.
One of the reasons why vaccinations are important is because some diseases may cause long-term damage. For instance, polio mainly affects children, and can result in irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. While there is no cure for polio, it can easily be prevented by immunisation.
Since the 1950s, the government has offered free vaccinations through public hospitals, clinics (i.e. klinik kesihatan), and school health services. In fact, MOH has come up with a National Immunisation Schedule for children to protect against these diseases:
– Tuberculosis
– Hepatitis B
– Diptheria
– Tetanus
– Polio
– Measles
– Mumps
– Rubella
– Pertussis
– Haemophilus influenzae type B infection
– Japanese encephalitis
– Human papillomavirus infection
– Invasive pneumococcal disease
Take a closer look at the vaccination schedule for newborns to infants below.
91.5% of respondents recognised that fever was a common side effect after vaccination.
Besides that, 97.2% of respondents said that they would bring their child to a clinic or consult with a healthcare worker online if they noticed that the side effects worsened.
Regarding how they would respond after their children got a vaccination jab, 77% of respondents would just let it be, while the remainder said they would either ice, massage, or apply cream on the affected arm.
According to MOH, the proper thing to do after a vaccination jab is to leave the arm alone, and to seek proper medical treatment only if it remains swollen.
Take a look at all our Spotlight stories to date here.