PETALING JAYA: The government does not currently plan to make dengue vaccinations mandatory despite the surge in cases over the first three months of 2024 and the whole of last year, the health ministry says.
However, deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the country was “headed that way”.
“We want to achieve our objective of zero dengue-related deaths by 2030,” he told reporters after officiating the 7th Asia Dengue Summit here.
He also encouraged members of the public to get inoculated against dengue at the nearest health facility.
In February, the Drug Control Authority granted conditional approval for Takeda’s Qdenga dengue vaccine, which will be available for those aged four and above.
The health ministry said in January that there had been an 86.3% spike in the number of dengue cases in 2023.
The total number of deaths reported due to complications from dengue last year stood at 100 – an increase of 44 deaths (78.6%) from the 56 recorded in 2022.
Lukanisman said the main factors behind the increase in numbers included rapid development in urban areas and an attitude of apathy towards cleanliness.
“This is why we are diligently implementing preventive measures via our enforcers and the local councils, in hope that it will increase public awareness.”
