Parents may be forced to give children vaccinations
Minister says there’s a ‘strong argument’ for compulsory jabs
THE Health Secretary argued yesterday that there is a ‘very strong argument’ for making vaccinations for children compulsory.
Matt Hancock said he had sought advice from experts over the past few days on how to introduce mandatory jabs.
Official figures last week showed a fall in the uptake of all 13 routine childhood vaccinations, including MMR, polio and diphtheria.
The rates for MMR had dropped for the fifth year in a row, with 14 per cent of children not receiving the two necessary jabs.
Mr Hancock, who has three children, said yesterday: ‘I think there’s a very strong argument for a movement towards compulsory vaccination and I think the public would back us. I received advice inside government this week on how we might go about it and I’m looking very seriously at it.’
Addressing a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, the Health Secretary said parents who did not vaccinate their own children were putting other vulnerable youngsters at risk.
‘The worst thing is, if you don’t vaccinate your child and you can, then the person you are putting at risk is not only your own child but it’s also the child who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons,’ he said. ‘ Maybe they’ve got cancer and so their immune system is too weak. You’ve got to make sure the system would work – some children can’t get vaccinated and some will hold strong religious convictions you want to take into account.
‘Then I’d want to make it very easy for when the children arrive at school, and aren’t vaccinated, to get vaccinated and make it the norm.
‘I’m very worried about falling rates of vaccinations, especially measles. It’s unbelievable that Britain has lost its measles-free status and it should be a real wake-up call.
‘I think the social media companies have got a lot to answer for. They allow the spread of antivaccines messages. I will do whatever I can.
‘The science is absolutely clear and settled on the importance of vaccinations.’
Experts have blamed the increasingly vociferous ‘antivaxx’ movement for spreading ‘fake news’ via social media that jabs are harmful.
Public complacency may also be a factor, with many parents forgetting that diseases such as measles and polio were once widespread and deadly.
California made childhood vaccinations compulsory two years ago; parents who refuse to comply cannot enrol their children at school.
The only exceptions are youngsters with cancer or other conditions that leave their immune system compromised. They would not be able to tolerate the jab.
Last week’s figures from NHS Digital showed the proportion of children receiving both MMR jabs fell from 87.2 per cent in 2017/18 to 86.4 per cent. Coverage of the six-in- one vaccine, which includes polio, hepatitis B and tetanus, dropped from 95.1 per cent to 94.2 per cent.
Health officials are particularly worried about the increase of measles, with 231 confirmed cases in January to March – just short of the 284 registered in total for 2017. Children are meant to be given two MMR jabs to protect against measles, mumps and rubella – the first at one month old and the second just before starting school.
On a separate issue, Mr Hancock said he wants the Government to introduce tougher rules on air pollution, particularly where children and schools are concerned.
Mr Hancock said: ‘Poor air quality is a health issue and we need to tackle it.’
‘I think the public would back us’