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MMR vaccines can contain pork - UmmAiman - 08-23-2003
Muslim babies' MMR jabs have traces of pork
Injections illegal under Islamic law, says imam
BY VICKY COLLINS
THOUSANDS of Muslim babies in Scotland have been injected with a
derivative of pork contained in a major child vaccine, The Herald can
reveal.
One of the two triple measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines used
by GPs in Britain are made using porcine gelatin, which is forbidden
in Islam.
Public health officials in Glasgow admitted that they had only begun
informing parents in the last week.
Strict Muslims can only use medicines containing derivatives of pork
in a medical emergency when there is no other option.
Muslim leaders across Scotland reacted angrily to the revelation and
are demanding that Muslim parents must be warned about any medication
that may contain pork derivatives to allow them to make an informed
choice.
Habib Rauf, imam at the Glasgow Central Mosque, said: "I did not know
it contained porcine gelatin. I have a three-year-old child who was
recently given the MMR vaccine and if I had known about this I would
not have let my child have the vaccination."
Generally, patients never see the full ingredients list for vaccines,
although doctors will check if there are any medical conditions that
lead to side- effects.
The vaccine with gelatin which is used widely in Britain is made by
Aventis Pasteur, while Merck makes another vaccine containing porcine
gelatin which is used widely across the world, but not in the UK.
Another vaccine used in the UK is made by Priorix and is free of the
material. However, usage of either one depends on availability.
Between them, Aventis Pasteur and Merck have offices in 41 countries
across the world, including Arab nations such as Egypt, the Gulf and
Saudi Arabia, as well as Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim
nation.
A spokesman for Aventis Pasteur admitted the company was aware of the
possible implications of using such ingredients for religious groups.
He claimed it was "not a problem" because the gelatin was broken down
into peptides, and was therefore refined and not pure gelatin. He
confirmed there was no vegetarian option. He declined to comment on
when the company first began using porcine gelatin in MMR. Merck was
unavailable for comment.
However, Muslims said the ingredient still would be a concern because
it was sourced from pig, and said an alternative to porcine gelatin,
such as agar, should be used, or a warning given to all parents who
were considering the jab for their child.
Mohammad Faroghul Quadri, imam at the Khazra Mosque, Glasgow,
said: "The gelatin may be broken down, but those ingredients still
come from pork originally. This gelatin from pork is totally illegal
under Islamic law."
Mohammed Sarwar, Labour MP for Glasgow Govan, said: "I am sure if it
is the case that MMR contains pork gelatin then that would be a
concern for the Muslim community."
Unlike Muslims, Jews are only forbidden to eat pork, and have no
concerns about its use in medicines, according to Judith Tankel, who
sits on the committee of the Glasgow Council of Christians and Jews.
She said: "There is no problem with us wearing shoes or clothes made
using pigs and certainly injections or medicine containing
derivatives of pig are no problem."
Dr Syed Ahmed, immunisation co-ordinator for Greater Glasgow NHS,
said he had been alerted to the problem by a Muslim GP and had
contacted all GPs in Glasgow asking them to warn Muslim parents and
offer the option of using the alternative MMR vaccine made by
Priorix.
Forbidden food
Strict Muslims are only allowed to eat foods not expressly forbidden
in the Koran and animals slaughtered "in the name of Allah" are
considered halal, or lawful, to eat.
The Koran says only animals which chew the cud and have cloven hooves
can be eaten, and as pigs do not chew the cud they are considered
haram, or forbidden.
Although Jews also consider pork to be unclean, kosher law only
covers animal products which are eaten.
-June 26th
This was in The Herald newspaper up in Scotland on June 26th 2003.