Health authorities fear disease surge as some Malaysians reject vaccines

Kuala Lumpur

MORE children are falling victim to contagious diseases in Muslim-majority Malaysia, worrying health authorities as parents reject immunisation programmes for fear the vaccines used infringe strict religious rules.

The deaths of five children in June from diphtheria, a disease that can be prevented by vaccines, provoked an outcry among doctors and spurred calls for an edict by religious authorities to compel Muslim families to immunise children. "Our concern is, if it's left uncontrolled, in the long term we might see a significant effect on the nation as a whole," said Health Minister S Subramaniam.