Page 18 - NIH Bulletin Vol 19, January-June 2022, Entering the Endemic Phase: Nurturing Ideas in Healthcare

Bulletin National Institutes of Health, Malaysia Vol 19 • January - June 2022

POST-VACCINATION COVID-19

IMMUNITY AND DISEASE

SURVEILLANCE IN MALAYSIA

(IMSURE)

As COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the lives and After several discussions with various stakeholders including
livelihood of many people around the world through high those from the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) and
number of infections, overload of healthcare system, and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), the IKU
strict preventive measures including movement restriction, has conceptualised and proposed a project entitled Post-
the arrival of vaccination provides humanity hope to achieve vaccination COVID-19 Immunity and Disease Surveillance in
a balance between disease control and livelihood returning to Malaysia (IMSURE), primarily to determine the humoral or
some sense of normality in life. antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination.
Other outcomes of this post-vaccination study include cell
COVID-19 vaccination provides the recipients protection response and the occurrence of COVID-19 and its adverse
against SAR-CoV-2 infection at varying degrees. This protection effects among the recipients.
is conferred through the humoral and cell response of the
human immune system. As Malaysia prepared to vaccinate IMSURE is an observational study that employs a cohort
its population against COVID-19 through COVID-19 National design. The study will follow-up selected recipients of
Immunization Program (Program Imunisasi COVID-19 different types of COVID-19 vaccine from different age groups
Kebangsaan, PICK), this effort needs to be measured and for up to two years at intervals. This study was started in June
evaluated for empirical evidence of immune response among 2021 and more than 2,600 vaccine recipients have agreed to
the recipients of different COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia. participate. Recipients of different vaccines were recruited
from multiple vaccination centres (Pusat Pemberian Vaksin,
The Institute for Public Health (Institut Kesihatan Umum, PPV) across Malaysia.
IKU) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was tasked
to design and execute this project by the Disease Control In spite of IKU’s vast experience in national surveys, the
Division, MOH. This mandate was given to IKU in view of their execution of IMSURE is the most challenging one they have
vast experience in conducting multiple National Health and ever encountered to date. Almost all 70 technical officers were
Morbidity Surveys and other large scale research projects deployed in rotation. To overcome manpower shortages, the
since 1986. State Health Departments and District Health Offices also

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