Flu vaccine scheme halted over fears of Muslim parents
Anger at presence of pork gelatine in new nasal spray for children
SCOTLAND’S largest ever immunisation programme has been halted after Muslim parents were not told the vaccine contained pork gelatine.
The roll-out of the flu vaccine nasal spray pilot scheme in Glasgow had been due to begin at city primary school on Wednesday, days after its launch by First Minister Alex Salmond.
But after parents at Glendale Primary in Pollokshields – which has a large number of Muslim pupils who cannot consume or use pig products for religious reasons – became aware of the ingredients, complaints were made and the scheme was put on hold.
In England, the Fluenz vaccine attracted criticism just a fortnight ago for the same reason, sparking accusations of insensitivity to Muslims, Jews and vegetarians, and concerns over the lack of information to parents.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), whose area contains the overwhelming majority of Scotland’s Muslims, said it had postponed the vaccinations “following concerns raised by a small number of parents”.
The health board added that, in 2001, 100 Islamic scholars had agreed pork gelatine was permissible within a vaccine so there had been no need for advance publicity.
The city council moved to halt the programme within its schools after the complaints were made, with children at the pilot schools given letters last night informing them of the situation.
It will restart next week, with parents given the choice of an injection which does not contain the gelatine product. The roll-out is continuing elsewhere.
Glasgow councillor Soryia Siddique said: “Children’s health and wellbeing is paramount. The serious failure is at a national level with regards to the clarity of the vaccine ingredient which should have been communicated to parents so they could make an informed decision.”
Dr Syed Ahmed, consultant in public health medicine at NHSGGC, said: “We want to point out to parents and carers that the nasal spray vaccine contains a tiny amount of gelatine of pork origin used during the manufacturing process.”
He said gelatine was commonly used in the manufacture of medicines and the trace in the finished nasal spray was a “completely changed substance”.
He added: “In view of the 2001 agreement between the World Health Organisation and the Muslim scholars that pork gelatine was permissible within a vaccine there was no specific reference to this ingredient in the initial national communication that was produced for parents.
“However, in view of the concerns of a small number of parents we have updated our communication to confirm the inclusion of this ingredient in its manufactured state and advised parents they can request that their child can be provided with an alternative vaccination.”
The vaccine is being offered for the first time to every child in Scotland aged two and three. Previously only children in “at risk” groups were offered the protection.
In all, about 120,000 children will be offered the vaccine, as well as 100,000 primary pupils in health board areas taking part in a pilot programme.
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We asked for a delay to allow for additional information regarding the programme to be sent to families taking part in the immunisation pilot.”
AScottish Government spokeswoman said: “Many medicines, including vaccines ... contain traces of bovine and porcine gelatine. Gelatine is an essential ingredient to make the flu nasal spray vaccine effective. Many faith groups, including Jewish and Muslim communities, have approved the use of gelatin-containing vaccines.”
Public health minister Michael Matheson added: “The Scottish Government very much appreciates the help and advice provided by Muslim councils in response to these concerns and a letter has been issued to all parents of Muslim children in Glasgow to offer reassurance about the Fluenz vaccine.”
I T is certainly embarrassing that Scotland’s largest ever immunisation programme has been halted at the 11th hour but, worse than that, the way the affair has been handled shows, at best, a lack of transparency to parents about the contents of the flu vaccine and, at worst, a lack of sensitivity on the issue of faith and religious belief.
The programme, which was launched by First Minister Alex Salmond, is ambitious. Every two and three-year-old child in Scotland is to be given the flu vaccine – which amounts to around 120,000 children – as well as another 100,000 primary pupils in pilot areas. It is a programme no-one would question, particularly as it is young children and those over 65 who are most vulnerable to flu.
However, the problem with the vaccination programme is that no explicit mention was made to the parents of the children involved that the nasal vaccine contained traces of pork gelatine – a substance which is beyond the pale for Muslims as well others, including Jews and vegetarians.
It is surprising that this should been allowed to happen, particularly in Glasgow, where the vast majority of Scotland’s Muslim population live. Worse, this episode comes only a couple of weeks after a similar vaccination programme ran into trouble in Leicestershire for exactly the same reason. Health officials there apologised for not informing parents their vaccine included pork gelatine. The head teacher of one school, which is attended by Muslim pupils, said it showed a lack of sensitivity.
As the final preparations were being made to launch the Scottish pilot, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) should surely have been aware of what was happening in Leicestershire. NHSGGC’s response has been to cite a meeting of Islamic scholars in Kuwait 12 years ago which ruled that pork gelatine was permissible in medicines and vaccines and did not breach religious law.
That may be so, but a more judicious approach from the health board would have been to inform parents, including Muslim parents, to allow them to make the choice for themselves.
The information was included in the small print on the board’s website but, by not contacting parents directly and telling them what was in the vaccine, NHSGGC appeared to make a decision on what is, and what is not, appropriate for Muslim children without consultation. That suggests a lack of sensitivity to religious groups.
The solution the board has now found is that parents can request an alternative gelatine-free vaccination – which raises the question: why was this option not offered in the first place?
Whatever the answer, the vaccination programme now at least has a chance to restart with a clean slate. Most parents will want their children to be vaccinated against flu, but now they can also make an informed decision about which vaccination they receive. It is an option they should have been offered from the start.