“I want to give an assurance that all our vaccines are halal and there is no such thing as swine DNA in it.

“Vaccination should be a must for everyone as it prevents people from getting infected with deadly diseases,” he told reporters while on a constituency visit to present Aidilfitri aid to 800 people at the SMK Seri Balik Pulau today.

He said many parents obtained misleading information from the Internet on vaccination which state vaccines were not halal as there were rumours it contained swine DNA.

He urged parents not to follow ‘Dr Google’ blindly, but (adhere to) expert advice on vaccination.

The number of young parents refusing to vaccinate their children was on the increase as they trusted ‘Dr Google’ more – although they had no idea what they were reading, he said.

“Refusing vaccination for their children is criminal,” he added.

Dr Hilmi said the ministry supported efforts to deny enrolment of preschoolers if the children were not vaccinated, which was carried out once in a lifetime free of charge.

Two children from Malacca and Kedah died of diphtheria, an infectious disease that could have been prevented by vaccination.

— BERNAMA