SHAH ALAM, Nov 18 — The state’s free influenza vaccination programme for schoolchildren aged eight and below is not mandatory and requires parental consent, the State Legislative Assembly heard today.
State executive councillor for public health and environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin said consent must be given either through schools or the SELangkah mobile app.
"All state agencies have a role to play to educate the public about (the importance of) taking the vaccine. Schools will also publicise it, and the state government will distribute leaflets.
"However, we cannot force parents to take the vaccine (for their children)," she said when responding to a supplementary question from Rawang state assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat on vaccine phobia among the public.
Jamaliah added that while some fear persists, it is not as widespread as during the Covid-19 vaccination period, as the influenza vaccine has been available for much longer.
The state government rolled out the Selangor Children’s Vaccination Programme (Selvaksin) last Monday (November 10) to address the increasingly worrying spread of influenza.
The initiative offers free influenza vaccinations to high-risk children as an early preventive measure to safeguard the health of young people in the state.
A total of RM1 million has been allocated for 15,000 to 20,000 doses, benefiting about 8,000 children.
She said the programme is open to children aged eight and below with at least one comorbidity or chronic illness. Recipients must also be from B40 households with a monthly income of RM5,250 or less and have resided in the state for at least 10 years.
The programme is targeted at the Petaling, Klang, Gombak, and Hulu Langat districts due to the high number of cases there.
When asked whether the programme would be expanded to more groups or extended into next year, Jamaliah said it would depend on demand and the situation at that time.
Meanwhile, she said that no deaths due to influenza have been reported in Selangor from 2024 until Epidemiological Week (EW) 43/2025, which ended on October 25.
Although the Selangor Health Department (JKNS) had received reports of deaths suspected to be related to influenza during a recent surge in cases, determining the exact cause of death requires an autopsy.
“For cases where no autopsy is conducted, a thorough assessment, including clinical history and discussions at the Mortality Committee, is needed to confirm the true cause of death.
“From 2024 up to ME 43/2025, no deaths have been confirmed as due to influenza," Jamaliah said.
The councillor noted that JKNS had reported over 3,000 influenza cases, involving 268 clusters during the same period, with 70 per cent of these clusters linked to institutions, particularly educational settings.
She said the state government is ramping up public awareness and advocacy programmes through Community Service Centres (PKM) to promote effective healthcare practices and prevent the spread of influenza.
The Health Ministry (MOH) has also rolled out an influenza immunisation programme for ministry staff and senior citizens aged 60 and above, particularly those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory diseases, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or chronic kidney disease.
"To date, 37,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for the Influenza Immunisation Programme for the Elderly in Selangor. These vaccines are available for free at 82 government health facilities statewide," Jamaliah said.
