Diphteria, which has recently reemerged in the country, is reportedly under control, the Health Ministry said.
The outbreak has claimed at least five lives in the past months. A housewife in Rembau, Negri Sembilan — the first adult in the country was reported to have been the latest to contract the bacterial infection.
“Only 5% are not covered and this group does have the risk of getting the disease. Most of them come from poor families or missed out on their vaccinations,” Minister Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying in a report by The Star Online.
He added that those who have received vaccination were ‘fully protected’.
The housewife reportedly had fever, swollen tonsils, raspy voice and difficulty in swallowing when she received treatment at the Rembau Health clinic last week.
She was then referred to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban. A total of 15 cases have reportedly been recorded this year.
“The patient claims to have been vaccinated before. I do not know the details of this case yet. However, looking at the previous cases, most of the patients are not immunised,” he told The Star.
“So we have to look back to (the medical) history 41 years ago. We have to go back and see if what she recollects and what actually happened are the same thing,” he was quoted further.
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