Fatwā Issued Against MMR Vaccine in Indonesia

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) says the country’s measles and rubella vaccine contains ingredients derived from pigs and has issued a Fatwa reports Josh Elliott from Global News. 

The MUI says Muslims in Indonesia can continue to use the MMR vaccine until a religiously acceptable, or halal, version can be developed.

A fatwā is an Islamic legal pronouncement, issued by an expert in religious law (mufti), pertaining to a specific issue, usually at the request of an individual or judge to resolve an issue where Islamic jurisprudence is unclear. 

According to the University of Oxford’s Vaccine Knowledge Project, some measles vaccines contain hydrolyzed gelatin, a watered-down substance derived from pig or cow tissue. The gelatin is used to protect live viruses against temperature fluctuation,

Additionally, in 2001, Islamic scholars declared in a letter gelatin was sufficiently purified for use in vaccines.

“There is information from experts who are competent and trusted about the dangers caused by not being immunized,” Dr. H. Hasanuddin, chair of MUI’s fatwa commission, wrote in the fatwā.

This MUI fatwā is also calling for the Indonesian government to “guarantee the availability of halal vaccines” in the future, and to pressure its current supplier, the Serum Institute of India, to move away from using religiously prohibited ingredients.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of measles cases in Indonesia has significantly been reduced amid a multi-year effort to vaccinate children.

Recently, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Ministry of Health in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia published vaccine requirements and recommendations for those participating in the Hajj the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Hajj is an annual event, from about August 19 to August 24, 2018, includes thousands of visitors from all over the world, who may be unknowingly carrying an infectious disease.

Before attending this gathering, the CDC updated their Watch, Level 1 Travel Alert for those traveling from the USA to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The CDC suggestion includes the MMR vaccination.

For USA citizens, the CDC recommends scheduling a visit with a travel vaccine specialist at least 4 to 6 weeks before departure.

Travel vaccine counseling sessions can be scheduled at Vax-Before-Travel.

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides the private sector vaccine prices for general information, and vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects, says the CDC. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.