Muslim concern about vaccine fuels Thai measles outbreak

BANGKOK (AP) — Health authorities in Thailand are racing to contain a measles outbreak in the country's southern provinces, where 14 deaths and more than 1,500 cases have been reported since September.

Officials blame the comeback of the disease on low vaccination rates in the south caused by misconceptions among the Muslim population about the nature of the vaccine.

Islam prohibits the consumption of pork, and vaccine makers sometimes use gelatin derived from pork products as a stabilizing agent. However, health official Vicharn Pawan said Thailand imports measles vaccine products that do not contain porcine gelatin.

The recent cases in Buddhist-dominated Thailand's Muslim-majority southern provinces represent half the total for the whole country since the beginning of the year.