Vaccination of Babies, Children on Parliamentary Agenda

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Anti-vaccination and vaccine hesitation, for which health organizations have been drawing attention in the last years, has been brought into the parliamentary agenda.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ankara MP Murat Erdemir has directed parliamentary questions at Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca and Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services Zahra Zümrüt Selçuk.

"Not only a threat for their own children"

Saying that vaccination is among the most important and cost-effective types of intervention into public health in terms of immunization services, diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, and the prevention of the deaths caused by those diseases, Emir noted that the primary purpose of the immunization services is the prevention of diseases especially in toddlers and children.

"Families' decision to not vaccinate their children pose a health threat for not only their children but also for many different groups in society. The state has a duty to perform vaccination for the best interest of the child," Emir added.

Did the ministries take measures?

MP Emir directed the following questions at the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services:

• Do you make an endeavor in terms of "neglecting the child" regarding the families who reject vaccination?
• How many criminal complaints have been filed for neglect to this day? What are the results of these complaints?
• What kind of measures have been taken are planned to be taken concerning the families who reject vaccination?

Emir directed the following questions at the Minister of Health:

• What is the number of families who rejected the vaccines that are included in the Expanded Immunization Program?
• For what reasons the families reject vaccination?
• Did your ministry conduct researches/studies on this topic?
• What measures has your Ministry taken to prevent vaccine rejection? (AÖ/VK)