IPOH, Jan 30 — Unvaccinated stateless migrant children pose a greater health risk than parents who intentionally refuse inoculation for their offspring, said Dr Lee Boon Chye.
The deputy minister said the Health Ministry was struggling with the issue, which he said was responsible for recent episodes of diseases previously thought to be nearly eradicated here.
“That is why you see the occasional outbreak of measles and pertussis that are spread to locals more so in Sabah,” he told Malay Mail.
Dr Lee said around two per cent of local children were not fully vaccinated while tens of thousands of stateless migrants did not have the complete spectrum of vaccines given in the country.
The issue was especially prevalent in Sabah and Sarawak, he said.
He added that while the stateless children could be inoculated in the country, they must pay RM40 for each vaccination under local regulations.
“Some could not afford to pay that amount and do not come forward,” he said.
Dr Lee then added that the Health Ministry was considering expanding a 2014 directive to vaccinate stateless children to encompass all migrant offspring regardless of their immigration status.
On the anti-vaccination movement in Malaysia, he said the government did not currently plan to introduce laws to make inoculation mandatory as the rate of refusal — two per cent—was still low.
“We cannot force parents to vaccinate their child if they don’t want to. We can only advise them,” he said, adding that parents would be sent for counselling when they refuse to immunise their children.
“Education is better rather than compulsion.”
The growth of the anti-vaccination movement in countries such as the US, which is based on an unproven belief that vaccines cause autism, has led to the resurgence of preventable diseases such as measles and polio.
