KUALA LUMPUR: Medical experts have lambasted the anti-vaccine movement, blaming it for the resurgence of diphtheria, a disease which had “virtually disappeared in Malaysia”.
Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (Imam) president Professor Datuk Dr Abd Rahim Mohamad said the disease re-emerged due to the reluctance of some parents to comply with the Health Ministry’s advice to vaccinate their children as per the National Immunisation Programme (NIP).
He said the factors for this reluctance include misinformation, untruths and myths found aplenty on the Internet and social media on vaccinations.
“The rejection of vaccination also stems from adopting pseudo-religious arguments about the status of vaccines by a few religious groups and individuals that do not have any expertise in science and the complexities of medicine.
“The public should be aware that immunisation is a preventative public health strategy that has been recognised and practised by many Muslim doctors who are experts, trusted and thiqah (reliable) worldwide.
“It is naive and irrational to
allege these Muslim professional groups as being complicit with
the enemies of Islam or that
they do not understand the
halal or non-halal status of the current vaccines.
“Muslim religious scholars and fatwa councils in Malaysia and the Muslim world have unanimously proclaimed that immunisation is consonant with the higher objectives of the Syariah (Maqasid Syariah),” he said yesterday.
Rahim said Imam unequivocally concurred that immunisation was a preventative public health strategy which saved lives, prevented intellectual and physical disabilities, and was an economic plus to the nation.
“Those who are unclear or confused about the role and importance of immunisation are advised to consult expert doctors and qualified medical and nursing personnel.
“The loss of life by diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines is highly regrettable.”
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr John Chew Chee Ming called on all related organisations, both government and private, to work together to ensure that all infants and toddlers were fully vaccinated according to the Malaysian immunisation schedule.
“With regret, we note that immunisation coverage of our infants has been hampered by pockets of the population who either refuse immunisation or may have been missed.
“We also urge all our doctors to be on the alert for signs and symptoms of diphtheria, especially among children in their practice and to refer and notify suspected cases to the health authorities.”
Family Medicine Specialists Association of Malaysia president Dr Norsiah Ali said vaccination was needed to prevent people from getting infectious diseases like polio, tuberculosis, pertussis, and diphtheria.
She said the Health Ministry’s statistics revealed a worrying trend where the number of parents refusing vaccinations had increased from 470 cases in 2013 to 1,292
in 2014 and 1,054 as at May last year.
“Following this, there had also been an increase in the number of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“For example, the number of measles cases increased from 235 in 2014 to 539 in September last year. Pertussis increased from 497 cases (2014) to 655 cases in 2015. The number of tetanus cases also increased by almost two-fold from 12 cases in 2014 to 22 as at September 2015.”
Former MMA president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said the vaccine was given free at all government-run health clinics, while in the private sector it should cost less than RM100.
“The government has spent billions of ringgit in providing the vaccines for free, and the Health Ministry has made it easy for children to have vaccination. There is no reason why children remain unvaccinated.”
Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had on Wednesday urged parents to ensure that their children receive the complete 5-in-1 antigen vaccines in order to protect them from various diseases including diphtheria.
The vaccines, he said, were given to infants at the age of 2, 3, 5 and 18 months.
“The immunisation coverage of more than 95 per cent in a community will serve as ‘herd immunity’ and protect the children from being infected with these bacteria.
“Children who had received such complete immunisation would only suffer from minor symptoms when infected and (they are) shielded from complications.
“Hence, the reason why the ministry emphasised the importance of getting their children vaccinated.”