What’s keeping Malaysians from taking up the dengue vaccine?

KUALA LUMPUR: A clown twists balloons into animal shapes while children tuck into free ice cream at a community hall in Kepong. Nearby, parents queue for health screenings.

Inside a neighbouring room, doctors are filled with hope that families will leave with something even more valuable: protection against dengue.

The faculty of medicine at Universiti Malaya recently organised a community programme offering children anaemia screening and dengue vaccination. For epidemiologist Dr Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki, the encouraging turnout brought a sense of relief.

Just two weeks earlier, a similar event in Ampang had fallen well short of expectations. Although organisers had prepared for around 300 visitors, fewer than 100 attended.

Rafdzah believes the term “dengue vaccination” itself may have kept many families away. “A few said that when they heard about the vaccine, they were afraid,” she told Bernama.

Health experts acknowledge that public confidence in dengue vaccines has been affected by controversy surrounding the Dengvaxia programme in the Philippines nearly a decade ago.

Although later investigations found no evidence linking the vaccine to several reported deaths, the episode continues to influence public perception across the region.

Some parents who had already booked appointments at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre later cancelled after learning the programme included dengue vaccination.

The concern comes as cases continue to climb nationwide, with more than 33,000 infections recorded by the middle of this month.

Besides eliminating mosquito breeding sites, health experts are encouraging eligible Malaysians to consider the two-dose Qdenga vaccine. Yet uptake remains relatively low: only 33 of the 42 children screened at the Kepong event went on to receive the vaccine.

In a recent opinion piece published in The Edge Malaysia to mark Asean Dengue Day, Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia head Dr Zulkifli Ismail called for the vaccine to be included in the national immunisation programme, arguing that mosquito-control measures alone are no longer enough.

Rafdzah believes misinformation and sensational reporting have deepened the trust deficit. “People are scared of vaccines – in fact, any vaccine,” she noted.

But not everyone who declines vaccination is opposed to it – for some parents, the bigger issue is simply a lack of awareness.

At the Kepong event, 38-year-old mother Tan Pei Syien brought her two sons for screening and vaccination after learning about the programme through her community.

“Before this, I never knew about the dengue vaccine,” she said, adding that she would also consider getting the jab herself.

Convincing older adults, however, remains more difficult. Kelvin Yee from the Petaling Garden Kuala Lumpur Residents’ Welfare Association said many senior residents still place greater emphasis on keeping neighbourhoods clean than on vaccination.

He said residents became more vigilant after a 25-year-old neighbour died from dengue last year. Investigators later found mosquito larvae breeding in a water tank above the victim’s home.

Rafdzah welcomed cleaning efforts but stressed that vaccination should complement, not replace, existing mosquito-control measures.

“If you are trying to protect your home but your neighbour doesn’t want to protect theirs, then it’s no use,” she pointed out.

She hopes more Malaysians will learn about the vaccine and make informed decisions based on medical advice rather than fear.

After all, for many families, the biggest obstacle may not be opposition to vaccination – but simply not knowing it is an option.

Check back in tomorrow for part two of this article, which discusses the impact of climate change on dengue cases.