Where does this news come from?

Vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella It is included in the basic vaccination schedule and is offered free of charge. All three vaccines are in a combination vaccine. It is administered by a first injection at 12 months and a second injection in fourth grade. Those who have not been vaccinated can always receive a refresher vaccine (1). The vaccine is safe and effective.

The combined vaccine is used on a large scale in Belgium MMRVaxPro used. That contains jelly. There is a second combination vaccine against the same three infectious diseases, Priorix, which does not contain gelatin.

In countries where Priorix is ​​offered, for example in the United Kingdom and Norway, it is emphasized that Priorix does not contain gelatin (2,3,4). This fuels the idea that something is wrong with gelatin in vaccines or that it would be undesirable for people with certain religious beliefs.

Fountain

(1) Attention Department. The measles.

How should you interpret this news?

pork gelatin

Gelatin is obtained from the connective tissue of certain animals, including chickens, pigs, fish, and cattle. In it production of certain vaccines and in doing all kinds of things medicine capsules always becomes pork gelatin used.

• Pork gelatin ensures that the active ingredients are in the vaccines or capsules. stable They remain during storage and do not lose their strength.
• gelatin has no impact In the vaccine, it is a filler.
• The media becomes purified during the vaccine production process.

Allowed for Muslims

orthodox muslims They are not allowed to eat pork, because they consider them unclean animals. The Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, an official body that issues standards for Muslims, has a series exceptions summarized. Pork components that have been purified during the production process are considered pure (5). This includes:

• gelatin for medical applications, such as vaccines;
• soap based on pork fat;
• Pork insulin for people with diabetes.

Allowed for Jews

He too Judaism has extensive rules about what Jews can and cannot eat. According to kashrut (the so-called dietary laws), it is not permitted to eat pork. Pork is not called kosher. But: in the Jewish community these laws only apply to what you do oral you accept. Since most vaccines are administered by injection, there is no objection to receiving a vaccine containing gelatin (5).

Conclusion

Some vaccines contain gelatin as an excipient. The combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine used in Belgium, MMRVaxPro, is on that list. Gelatin comes from the connective tissue of the pig. Parents who are not allowed to consume pork because of their religion are concerned about these vaccines. You can be calm. Official Islamic and Jewish authorities dealing with these issues explicitly state that vaccines containing gelatin are pure and can be used. Gelatin is also widely used in the production of capsule medications.

References