Medical expert urges Selangor govt to fully fund dengue vaccines in hotspots

By Selangor Journal Team

SHAH ALAM, Dec 20 — The Selangor government should fully subsidise dengue vaccinations in hotspot areas to protect high-risk groups and gather vital effectiveness data, a leading medical expert has proposed, reports CodeBlue.

Speaking to the health news portal, Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia (DPAM) chairman Dr Zulkifli Ismail recommended launching free vaccination initiatives in areas where Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes are not present to assess vaccine efficacy.

“This will allow us to assess the effectiveness of the vaccine on the ground. While we need to protect the population against dengue infection, we should also be able to mine data so that we can look at real-world effectiveness and add to the current database of dengue vaccines from the rest of the world,” he said to the news portal.

The proposal comes as Selangor grapples with nearly half of Malaysia’s dengue burden, recording 56,359 cases out of the national total of 112,833 as of early November.

Hulu Langat district leads with 15,667 cases, followed by Gombak (7,736) and Klang (7,542).

Dr Zulkifli specifically highlighted those aged 20 to 40 and foreign construction workers as priority groups for vaccination, noting that while current prevention methods have shown success, rising case numbers warrant additional interventions.

“The results in Brazil and Indonesia have been encouraging,” he said, suggesting Malaysia could achieve similar outcomes with widespread vaccine adoption.

Several state assemblymen have backed the vaccination push but proposed different funding models.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran has advocated for joint state-Federal subsidies and negotiated pricing for the Qdenga vaccine, which currently costs between RM400 and RM500 at private facilities. “But with bargaining for good national pricing, not the low-volume private hospital pricing,” he said.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng said a dengue vaccination programme should be made accessible to all who opt in, funded collaboratively by the Selangor government and the Health Ministry.

“However, its implementation must be carefully planned to ensure safety, accessibility, and alignment with Malaysia’s public health priorities”.

Bandar Baru Klang assemblyman Dr Quah Perng Fei suggested a co-payment system, noting the current RM4 million dengue control budget’s limitations.

“I would suggest dengue vaccination should be shared with recipients as a form of co-payment, as each individual needs to take charge of their own health as well.

“Also, seeing that the dengue vaccine needs two doses, with co-payment, the compliance for the patient to go for the second dose is higher. This would ensure the success rate.”

Meanwhile, Taman Medan assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin endorsed full subsidies in hotspots, arguing this would provide immediate protection while generating valuable implementation data.

“This targeted approach can have an immediate impact by protecting those most at risk and reducing the strain on health care services.

“The data gathered from this initiative can serve as a valuable case study on the vaccine’s real-world effectiveness, providing a solid foundation for potentially expanding the programme statewide.”