May children receive oral vaccine drops during Ramadan?

Yes. Children who have not yet come of age are not required to fast, so there is no obstacle. But the decision about any treatment rests with the parents.

In some years Ramadan falls during the period when schools vaccinate their pupils. Many children then stay away because their families believe the drops would break the fast. Behind this lies a misunderstanding.

Children who have not yet come of age do not have to fast. Fasting is not an obligation for them. Some children join in now and then out of curiosity or for practice, but they are not required to. So vaccinating children does not conflict with Ramadan.

This fits a principle that runs through the whole of Islam. There is no conflict between the genuine needs of human beings and the commandments of Islam. The verses above show that God desires ease and does not overburden anyone. Even adults who are ill may postpone their fast.

One thing is equally important, however. No one may simply decide on behalf of other people’s children. The right to decide on a treatment belongs to the parents and to the children themselves. Only when a law requires a measure for everyone for an urgent reason is the situation different.

Those who want to vaccinate should therefore persuade parents rather than pressure them. They should explain openly why the measure is in the child’s interest. This builds trust, and religious concerns that rest on a misunderstanding fall away by themselves.