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An “Associated Press” report spoke about concerns about vaccination campaigns against Corona, due to religious objections to the use of pork products in vaccine storage.
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The agency noted that as companies compete to develop the Corona vaccine, and countries compete to secure doses, attitudes against the use of banned pork products by some religious groups raise concerns about the possibility of interrupting immunization campaigns. .
The report explained that gelatin derived from pork is being widely used as a stabilizing agent to ensure that vaccines remain safe and effective during storage and transportation.
Some companies are reported to have worked for years to develop pork-free vaccines, including the Swiss pharmaceutical company “Novartis” which has produced a pork-free meningitis vaccine, while Saudi Arabia’s “EG Pharma” and Malaysia is currently working on the production of a vaccine. Of your own.
The agency quoted Dr Salman Waqar, secretary general of the British Islamic Medical Association, as saying: “But current demand, supply chains, cost and the shorter lifespan of gelatin-free vaccines suggest that this component will continue. being used in most vaccines for years. “
Spokespersons for pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca said: “Pork products are not part of their Covid-19 vaccines. But limited supply and pre-existing millions of dollars worth of agreements with other companies mean that some countries have a lot of Muslims. ” Like Indonesia, it will receive gelatin-free vaccines, which have not yet been approved. “
Waqar noted that this poses a dilemma for religious communities, including Orthodox Jews and Muslims, as the consumption of unclean pork products is considered a religion.
Dr Harunur Rashid, an assistant professor at the University of Sydney, said that the consensus on previous discussions of the use of pork gelatin in vaccines is that it is allowed under Islamic law, because it can cause more harm if not used. vaccinations
The assessment itself also garners broad consensus from religious leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community.
The report touched a precedent that had “serious consequences for the health of Indonesia, which has the largest number of Muslims in the world, about 225 million.”
This happened in 2018 when the Indonesian Ulema Council, the specialized Islamic religious body, issued the decision that measles and rubella vaccines are either banned or illegal due to gelatin.
Religious leaders began urging parents not to allow their children to be vaccinated, prompting a spike in measles cases after that and making Indonesia the third highest rate of measles in the world.
Source: ap
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