Autoriti Kerajaan Dalam Mewajibkan Vaksinasi Kanak-kanak: Kajian Menurut Perspektif Hukum Islam (Authority of the Government to Enforce Child Vaccination: A Study from the Islamic Ruling Perspective)

Abstract

Public health is the main priority of the government policy. In line with this, various efforts have been undertaken to improve the health of the community, including vaccination programs, explicitly the injection of vaccines, specifically immunization among children. This is due to the transmission of various types of diseases that risks the survival of children. However, there are parents who reject giving the vaccine to their children based on claims of non-halal vaccine sources and the adverse events following immunization. They deny the importance of vaccines by choosing alternative treatments that are said to be better and safer. Since the vaccine injection is not a mandatory requirement by the government, they feel entitled to reject the vaccine injection by choice. As a result of the vaccine rejection, some previously reduced vaccine-preventable diseases are on the increase in Malaysia. Therefore, this literature review, based on the qualitative approach, discusses the polemics of vaccines and governmental authorities in enforcing a policy from an Islamic ruling perspective. Findings of this study indicate that based on the principle of maslahah in Islam, it is permissible for the government to devise vaccination as a compulsory requirement for the citizens. Thus, the government can enforce mandatory vaccinations so that parents will allow their children to be vaccinated. The effects of not vaccinating children are not on the children only; they also pose risks to the community at large.