Materia Medica Malaysiana

Fujian flu vaccine ready by next year

KUALA LUMPUR: Vaccine for the Fujian strain of influenza will be ready by next year, said Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng.

“The Fujian vaccine will be ready for the winter season starting July in the Southern Hemisphere, but it won’t be ready for the current winter,” he said after attending the Hari Raya celebration at his ministry.

World Health Organisation (WHO) executive director of communicable diseases Dr David Heymann and WHO's representative for Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore Dr Sigrun Roesel also attended the event yesterday.

Chua added that he would be discussing with Dr Heymann and Dr Roesel on Malaysia's preparation in facing health challenges that might occur during the current winter season.

It was reported earlier this month that six children in England and Scotland had died from the Fujian strain.

Dr Heymann said WHO's network of 110 laboratories in 84 countries worldwide were constantly examining people with symptoms of flu and isolating the viruses for making vaccines.

He added that the virus would change every year and new vaccines must be made because of that.

Later, Chua said Dr Heymann was here to discuss polio eradication in Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries where the disease was still prevalent in Nigeria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Somalia, Niger and Pakistan.

He said the OIC had resolved to eradicate polio in member states and wanted them to allocate resources to ensure all children were protected from the crippling disease.

In Johor Baru, state health director Dr P. Prathapa Senan said samples from patients with serious bouts of influenza would be sent to the Institute of Medical Research to determine if they were suffering from the Fujian flu.

However, there had been no reported cases of the flu and there was no cause for alarm, he said.

“It is advisable for those who wish to travel to the United States and Europe to be vaccinated before they leave the country,” he added.

Among the symptoms of the Fujian flu are fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat and nasal congestion.

Although most victims will be cured within one to two weeks, complications can arise for those above 65 years and those suffering from chronic lung disease as well as those suffering from immune-deficiency, such as people living with HIV/AIDS and cancer patients.