[size=1em]Wednesday, 27 Jul 2016
12:00 AM MYT
[size=1em]PETALING JAYA: The 10 vaccines meant for the national immunisation schedule issued by the Health Ministry are free from pork gelatine, a family medicine specialist confirms.
[size=1em]Dr Suhazeli Abdullah said the hydrolysed gelatine used as a stabiliser in the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccines was from bovine source.
[size=1em]“The Islamic authorities of vaccine producing countries and international ulamaks have emphasised on the need to use vaccine,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
[size=1em]Dr Suhazeli expressed concern over rumours among village folk that the vaccines contain pork substance.
[size=1em]He explained that the polio vaccine was made in laboratories with tight protocols and adhered to Good Manufacturing Practice and ISO standards.
[size=1em]The growing of the virus was specifically done in special nursery medium - the vero cell which is the cell of monkey’s kidneys - because it provides the best medium for polio virus growth, he said in another post on his social website.
[size=1em]Dr Suhazeli said the polio virus was difficult to grow unlike other germs which could be grown in eggs and jelly.
[size=1em]“There are polio vaccines that use porcine cell (Imovax Polio brand) but it is not used in the Health Ministry’s immunisation programme,” he said.
[size=1em]Dr Suhazeli added that there were also guidelines on the enzymes of porcine trypsin used in the process of oral polio vaccine (OPV) as explained by the Fatwa Council of Europe.
[size=1em]“The ministry has moved away from using OPV to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) by injection since mid last year.
[size=1em]“The IPV did not use porcine trypsin,” he said.
[size=1em]Dr Suhazeli urged the Muslim community not to be confused by the allegations made by those not experts in the field.