Kuala Lampur, Oct. 23 -- I met a little boy recently - four years old, cute little fella, with a soft cough that lingered still as he recovered from RSV pneumonia.

He was lucky this time; the illness ran its course, and after more than a week, he went home smiling.

But what struck me wasn't just his recovery - it was the story behind it.

He has not received a single vaccine since birth except for the BCG.

His parents, loving but fearful, had declined every immunisation, convinced that vaccines might do more harm than good.

They had heard stories - about autism, about children who "fell sick" after vaccines - stories that echo endlessly on social media, whispered in parenting groups, repeated often enough to sound like truth.

Ironica...