Paediatric consultant and immunologist Dr Musa Mohd Nordin said polio is a dangerous disease with one in 200 infected patients suffering from paralysis while 5% to 10% of those infected dying.

What is even more alarming, he said, is that it is easily transmitted through faeces, mucus, food, sanitation system and unhygienic conditions.

“Up till today, there is no cure for polio but it can be prevented with vaccines which have proven to be safe and effective,” he told Bernama, adding that parents should ensure complete immunisation for their children.

On Dec 6, a three-month-old Malaysian boy from Tuaran, Sabah, was admitted to hospital after being confirmed as being infected by vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (VDPV1) — the first polio case after Malaysia was declared polio-free 27 years ago.

According to the Malaysian National Immunisation Schedule, an infant should receive inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) at two months, three months and five months with an additional dosage at 18 months.

Musa said the level of immunisation to effectively prevent the disease in a certain community is 95%.

However, he said it was worrying that certain communities, especially those in the interior areas, fail to achieve 95% immunisation.