Thousands of Muslim children in Kirklees and Calderdale could miss out on the flu vaccine because of religious rules.
Health officials have admitted concerns after it emerged that the majority of Muslim parents would not accept the use of a new nasal vaccine called Fluenz.
The product is being used to vaccinate all children in England while Kirklees has also been chosen as a pilot area for a school programme for 11 to 13-year-olds.
Health officials have confirmed there is a tiny amount of pork gelatine used in the vaccine but Islamic scholars in other parts of the UK and the world have declared it is halal.
Lynn Batley, practice manager at Mount Pleasant Medical Centrein Batley, an area with a high Muslim population, said many parents were getting upset when they found out there was no alternative for their children.
“We’re having to do the explaining to parents and that’s not always good,” she said.
“Some are getting quite angry because we’re not allowed to give the normal injected vaccine to healthy children. We are allowed to give it to children at risk, such as ones with asthma, but well children are not allowed it. It’s confusing for everyone.
“About 60% of our patients are Muslim so it’s affecting a significant amount of people.”
A report to the Kirklees Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board reveals public health officials consulted with Islamic scholars at Huddersfield and Dewsbury hospitals who discussed the matter “at length” and within the community and agreed to reject Fluenz.
The Kirklees Department of Public Health has now raised concerns with Public Health England (PHE) that a “significant proportion” of Kirklees’ children will not be immunised.
PHE has stated that there is no alternative available and that traditional injectable vaccines are not effective or as long lasting in children. A crisis meeting between Department for Health, NHS and Kirklees officials is now set to take place to consider what to do.
A source has told The Examiner a change in policy to allow injections is being considered.
Akooji Badat, a committee member at Snowden Street mosque in Batley, said many sections of the Muslim community did not consider the vaccine necessary and therefore would not break the religious rules of shunning pork content.
“Anything which is necessary and an alternative can’t be found then it’s okay,” he explained. “If I was fasting and it was a life or death situation then I would break it.
“But a flu vaccine hasn’t been proved to be necessary – you can do without it. Gelatine is bad news as far as the Muslim community is concerned.
“If they could find an alternative we would go for it.”
Mr Badat said some sections of the community were more lenient than others on following the religion’s code to avoid pork.
But he said he doubted many would consider a flu vaccine as essential.
“How often do people get flu jabs?” he said. “I’ve had one the last few years and it hasn’t been helping me, I feel like it gave me more problems.
“Modern medicine isn’t the answer for everything.”