Be ware of too much unverified info on dangers of vaccines - Kedah exco

Too much information on the dangers of vaccines, which is scary, but not verified, on the social websites, is identified as one of the reasons some parents do not want to send their children for vaccination.

Kedah Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Leong Yong Kong said some of the articles on the subject that were posted on the social websites were by medical doctors themselves.

"Parents love their children, so they will avoid their children from being given immunisation. Hence, the need to correct the (wrong) perception.

"So far, there is no policy which makes vaccination compulsory, except those given in schools and at clinics," he said in response to a question by Mahdzir Abdul Hamid (BN-Jeneri).

Mahdzir wanted to know whether the government had plans to make vaccination compulsory following the breakout of diphtheria.

Dr Leong said other factors why children were not given the vaccination, especially among Muslims, included on the halal status of the vaccine, poverty and ignorance.

On the number of diphtheria cases in Kedah, Dr Leong said so far, eight cases had been reported, including two death, in a family.

Last year, there were two cases and one case in 2014, he added.

He said various initiatives had been taken by the state government to instill public awareness on the need for children to be vaccinated, like organising health education programme, campaign and seminars.