KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The number of parents refusing immunisation for their children more than doubled from 2014 to 2015, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Instances of vaccine refusals in public clinics grew from 918 in 2014 to 1,851 case in 2015, coinciding with an increase in cases of preventable diseases such as measles, which climbed from 225 to 1,318 in the same period.

“Among the reasons behind the rise in reported measles cases is refusal of immunisation due to poverty or other reasons like the lack of understanding about immunisation,” the minister said in his reply to a question by Sabak Bernam Umno MP Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh.

The Health Ministry was recently reported to be looking at formulating a new law to make it compulsory for new parents to vaccinate their children as protection against diseases.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said talks were being held with the National Fatwa Council, which had agreed that vaccination was a responsibility.

He said the council had issued a statement that parents must vaccinate their children as protection against diseases.

Religion was found to be among the top reason driving some parents to refuse immunisation.

The move have prompted scholars to suggest more Muslims to venture into the pharmaceutical line to develop halal vaccines.

Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia director of centre for science and environment studies, Dr Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen, and research fellow, Ahmad Badri Abdullah from International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, both said there was a need to do so for the practise to be better accepted by Muslims in Malaysia who have rejected conventional vaccines for fear it contains non-halal substance.

Today, Mohd Fasiah said the government is working together with the federal Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to educate the public about the importance of immunisation for children.

He said both the Health Ministry and Jakim have held forums nationwide along with the publication of campaign materials on the subject.