By Musa Mohd Nordin The Greeks (429 BC) first observed that those who survived small pox did not get re-infected (immune memory). Buddhist nuns (900 AD) pounded the smallpox scabs (the antigen which stimulates the immune response) and practised variolation, where healthy people inhaled the powder to prevent against smallpox. Turkish physicians (1700 AD) used…
KUALA LUMPUR: Lecturer Khoo Boo Hin (pic) wished a polio vaccine had existed when he was a baby. Having contracted the virus when he was just 18 months old, Khoo lost his ability to walk properly after a fever. “Those days, there was no polio vaccine yet. If there was, I would wish my parents…
KUALA LUMPUR: Misinformation about vaccines has led to a huge increase in vaccine-preventable diseases, with almost a 1,000% increase in the number of measles cases compared to five years ago. The number of measles cases jumped from 195 cases in 2013 to 1,934 cases last year, said the Health Ministry in a statement. From the…
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has given its assurance that all vaccinations approved by the ministry have gone through stringent tests, with deputy minister Dr Lee Boon Chye saying that he welcomes feedback from any parent whose children might have suffered severe reactions after a vaccination. Dr Lee said there was sufficient evidence to show…