Educate parents on benefits of vaccines - Siti Hasmah

LANGKAWI, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of the prime minister, today urged medical practitioners and nurses to give parents the best advice on the importance of vaccination for their children.

Dr Siti Hasmah said she was aware that there were anti-vaccine parents who refused to allow their children to be vaccinated because of various factors and beliefs.

"There are parents who do not think that there is a need for vaccine because their children will grow up and develop natural immunity, but parents cannot wait until their children develop natural immunity.

"We do not want to see something happen to our children because they are not being vaccinated (for example) like paralysis and so on," she said when delivering a mandate to the staff and nurses at the Ayer Hangat Health Clinic here.

She was responding to a question from a nurse on tips to advise parents who reject vaccinations for their children, especially newborn babies.

Dr Siti Hasmah said most parents who chose to reject vaccinations for their children did so based on inaccurate information.

“There are claims that the vaccines are ‘haram’ (forbidden) and there are possible side effects.

“When a child develops fever after immunisation, that is not the side effect because the vaccine is to prevent more harmful diseases," she said.

-- BERNAMA