KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 ― The health minister’s announcement that compulsory vaccination will not be rolled out for the time being may please detractors, but some parent groups are hopeful the move will take off one day.
For these parents, the protection accorded by vaccination to the majority of children must take priority over the minority who opt against the programme, even at the cost of their rights to attend school.
Chairman of the National Parent-Teacher Association Professor Dr Mohamad Ali Hassan was among those in favour of a “no jab, no school” policy, which has been adopted by some states in the US, such as New York and California.
“It would be a good move if educating parents or guardians on the importance of vaccination doesn't work because a person's life is more important than another person's right to education,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted this week.
Mohamad Ali said the majority of children who have been vaccinated must be protected against the “handful” whom he claimed to have been deceived about the importance of inoculation.
“It is the majority's choice to be healthy and when you allow this minority [who are not vaccinated] to go to school, the majority will be affected,” he said.
Debate over vaccination continues to simmer in Malaysia amid a growing number in recent years of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, many of whom claim the vaccines are incompatible with Islam despite assurances from both the medical and religious authorities.
The resurgence of diseases preventable by vaccination such as diphtheria and measles earlier this year prompted Malaysian Medical Association president Dr John Chew to suggest the adoption of a “no jab, no school” policy as a last measure should efforts to educate parents on the importance of innoculations fail.
The number of diphtheria cases increased to 14 and resulted in five deaths as of the first week of June. Measles have also spiked 340 per cent to 873 cases in the same period.
Shamsuddin Hamid, coordinator for the Concerned Parents of Selangor, was another person who agreed that vaccinations are a must for every child of school-going age.
“It is high time that people be held accountable for their irresponsibility, anti-social stance and attitude on the matter.
“They have a choice of home-schooling their kids without endangering others,” he added when asked if such a policy would be violating the basic right of every child to have an education.
Not all parent groups who were pro-vaccination agreed to the “no jab, no school” policy, however. One such representative was Mak Chee Kin, chairman of the Malacca Action Group for Parents in Education.
To Mak, vaccination is important, but should not come at the cost of stopping a child from going to school.
“Education is the right of every children and they must not be deprived of it because of the fault of their parents.
“There must be some forms of action to ensure compulsory immunisation… my point is to educate parents first and punish them for not vaccinating their child, but leave the kids alone as they have no say in this,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Neighbouring Singapore is among several countries where vaccination is compulsory. Any parent or guardian who fails to vaccinate their young charge against diphtheria and measles can be punished with a maximum fine of S$10,000 (RM29,511.74) and/or a six-month jail term.
Muslim-majority Pakistan too has enacted a law making vaccinations mandatory, in a bid to save an estimated 400,000 children who fall victim to polio annually. According to some news reports, parents who fail to vaccinate their children will be fined and may even be jailed.
While Australia has yet to make vaccinations compulsory, its federal government has enacted new laws that penalise parents who refuse to inoculate their offspring below age 20 by withholding welfare benefits.
The Australian state of Victoria has also been flexing its muscle when it comes to child vaccinations after it amended its Public Health and Wellbeing Act this year and banned parents of kindergarten-age children from enrolling non-vaccinated offspring at childcare centres. The law is known locally as “no jab, no play”.
