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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 50783, member: 636"] Selangor officials are playing it safe with the new dengue vaccine instead of rushing into any vaccination programs. The state government wants to watch how the vaccine works before making any big moves. Public Health Committee chief Jamaliah Jamaluddin told lawmakers that health officials still need more time to study the vaccine. The federal government has not pushed for widespread use of the shots yet. Health experts say the vaccine has not been around long enough to know all the side effects. The dengue vaccine has been available in Malaysia for less than five years according to state health department records. Doctors think the vaccine might help fight dengue fever but they want to see more results first. Jamaliah explained that health officials recommended waiting and watching before starting any major vaccination drives. She made these comments while answering questions from assembly member Dr Quah Perng Fei about dengue prevention plans. The state health department wants to collect more data about how well the vaccine actually works. Selangor has seen a massive drop in dengue cases during the first part of the year compared to last year. The state recorded 13,685 dengue infections between January and early July which represents a huge 66 percent decrease. Last year during the same time period the state had 40,313 dengue cases. Deaths from dengue also fell from 12 people to just 5 people during the same months. Health officials credit better mosquito control and public awareness for the improvement. [/QUOTE]

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