Halal (permissible or lawful) poultry meat production must meet industry, economic, and production needs, and government health requirements without compromising the Islamic religious requirements derived from the Qur'an and the Hadiths (the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). Halal certification authorities may vary in their interpretation of these teachings, which leads to differences in halal slaughter requirements. The current study proposes 6 control points (CP) for halal poultry meat production based on the most commonly used halal production systems. CP 1 describes what is allowed and prohibited, such as blood and animal manure, and feed ingredients for halal poultry meat production. CP 2 describes the requirements for humane handling during lairage. CP 3 describes different methods for immobilizing poultry, when immobilization is used, such as water bath stunning. CP 4 describes the importance of intention, details of the halal slaughter, and the equipment permitted. CP 5 and CP 6 describe the requirements after the neck cut has been made such as the time needed before the carcasses can enter the scalding tank, and the potential for meat adulteration with fecal residues and blood. It is important to note that the proposed halal CP program is presented as a starting point for any individual halal certifying body to improve its practices.

BackgroundThere is a steep increase in the consumer use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM), with many users unaware of the need to inform their health care providers. Various predictors including psychosocial factors such as beliefs and behavior have been accounted for preference toward CAM use, with varying results.MethodsThis study investigates the belief and attitude regarding preference toward CAM use among the Malaysian population by using a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study.ResultsA large majority of the 1,009 respondents admitted to taking at least one type of CAM (n=730, 72.3%). Only 20 (1.9%) respondents were found to have negative beliefs (total score <35), 4 (0.4%) respondents had neutral beliefs (total score =35), and 985 (97.6%) respondents had positive belief toward CAM (total score >36). A total of 507 (50.2%) respondents were categorized as having a negative CAM attitude, while 502 (49.8%) respondents were categorized as having a positive CAM attitude. It was demonstrated that there was a positive correlation between belief and attitude score (ρ=0.409, P<0.001). Therefore, the higher the belief in CAM, the more positive the attitude was toward CAM. Those who were using CAM showed a stronger belief (P=0.002), with a more positive attitude (P<0.001) toward it, than those who were not using CAM.ConclusionIdentifying belief regarding preference toward CAM use among the public could potentially reveal those with a higher tendency to use CAM. This is important as not everyone feels the need to reveal the use of CAM to their health care providers, which could lead to serious repercussions such as interactions and adverse effects.

Abstract-Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is the purest form of coconut oil, essentially water-clear or colourless that consists mainly of medium chain saturated fatty acids. For over many decades, the biological properties of VCO have been widely explored and investigated due to their antimicrobial potentials. The large concentration of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) including lauric acid (LA) and its monoglyceride form, monolaurin makes VCO effective in their mode of actions against pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, VCO could be used as a daily supplement or an alternative remedy against microbial infections. We review and discuss the current state of knowledge of VCO studies and focus on its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities aiming to unravel the underlying mechanisms of VCO inhibition of these pathogenic microorganisms.

This study proposes critical limits (CL) for control points for halal slaughter (CPHS). Previously, 6 control points (CP) were determined, and CL for these 6 CPHS are suggested based on: 1) a literature survey for the CL for CP 1 (poultry breeding, rearing, and poultry feed) and CP 2 (welfare of poultry during transportation and lairage); 2) a field survey of slaughter plants in Kuantan (Malaysia) for CP 3 (immobilization), CP 4 (slaughter), CP 5 (time for full bleed-out), and CP 6 (washing and packaging); and 3) controlled experiments to refine the CL for CP 3, 4, and 5. The CL for CP 1 focused on stress reduction during rearing and use of substances that could compromise poultry meat wholesomeness. The CL for CP 2 emphasizes humane best-practices for handling poultry during lairage. The CL for CP 3 suggests a gap of 5 s between 2 shackles if only one shackler is employed and shackling times of <1 min for live chickens. In countries permitting water-bath electrical stunning of halal poultry, the stunning current needed to induce unconsciousness must be defined for the breed and bird size but not cause any chicken deaths. The CL for CP 4 mandates the recitation of the tasmiyah (the invocation), which if done for every chicken, will require ≥5 s between stunning and neck cutting. The CL for CP 4 also includes information about the slaughter knife. In CP 5 the recommended minimum time between neck cutting and scalding is 9.5 min. Finally, the CL for CP 6 emphasizes good supply chain hygiene and zero adulteration from haram species and substances.

Vaccine refusing and hesitant among parents has created a delicate issue for the health care providers because of its sensitivity in cultural differences, educational backgrounds and to a certain extent, politically motivated. Vaccination, which is an important intervention, correlates well with the priorities of Islamic jurisprudence (Maqasid al-Shariah); that states the preservation of life comes second after the preservation of Deen (religion). From the Islamic point of view, life is a gift from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala (SWT; the Most Glorified, the Most High) and its protection and continuation is of greatest value and need. Aims: This brief article has the objective to firstly, investigate factors that influence vaccination, and secondly, understand the Islamic perspective on vaccination. Methodology: Relevant literatures were reviewed based on a combination of one or more of the following keywords: vaccine, vaccination decision, vaccine hesitancy, factors influencing vaccine, vaccine impact, Islamic perspective and Muslims practice. An Islamic perspective on vaccination was extracted using the primary sources (related Qur’anic verses and Hadith) as well as secondary sources (fatwa; Islamic jurisprudence, made by Islamic scholars). Lastly, the current available Shariah rulings on vaccination and the related principles involved were analyzed. Conclusion: The main outcome of this review would allow various parties. i.e. the community, health scientists, medical practitioners and vaccine manufacturers, to be cognizant in both earlier and recent Shariah rulings pertaining vaccination.