Analysis
A video on social media discusses an Indonesian Islamic clerical council’s 2018 ruling that vaccines contain ingredients that are not halal (permissible in Islam). The ruling was linked to a decline in vaccination rates and a measles outbreak that killed 72 children. The account sharing the video alleges that the public has been misled about vaccines’ safety and religious permissibility. The post falsely suggests that many vaccines contain monkey cells and that the polio vaccine contains the virus SV40. Responses to the video argue that vaccines’ status in Islam is “unclear” (syubhat) and that vaccines are not “good or pure” (tayyib) due to their alleged “dirty” origin.
Recommendations
False claims about the halal status of vaccines can lead to hesitancy and increase the risk of vaccine-preventable outbreaks, as the 2018 Indonesian measles outbreak proves. Partnering with trusted faith leaders to explain that the polio vaccine is safe and that Islamic leaders all over the world have declared it halal is recommended. Messaging may emphasize that many Islamic scholars believe that medicines and vaccines that keep children safe from diseases like polio are only possible through faith and prayer. Debunking talking points may also explain that while some early batches of the polio vaccine were contaminated with SV40, no polio vaccine since 1963 has been contaminated with SV40. Moreover, no vaccines contain monkey cells. Messaging may continue to emphasize key talking points: The polio vaccine is safe and the only way to protect children against polio.