Germany misses target of measles immunization

Politics

Monday, July 30, 2018

/ muro, stock.adobe.com

Essen – The Head of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), Heidrun Thaiss, has a " Dangerous ignorance of measles "In some parts of the population complains." Measles is not a childhood disease that you simply have to survive for the immune system, "said Thaiss the newspapers of spark media group .

Nevertheless, there is a "worrying development" in vaccinations: according to a BZgA -Analysis, about two to four percent of the population refused to be vaccinated or to be vaccinated vaccinating their children.The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a goal of vaccination of at least 95% of the population to eradicate measles. "We have not yet reached this goal in Germany – this should give us food for thought, "criticized the boss of u BZgA

According to the BZgA study, nearly a third (29%) of Germans fear the side effects of vaccinations. "Others simply do not see the need to be vaccinated themselves or to vaccinate their own children," said Thaiss. For a small group, the boss of the BZgA is "an opposition to the really hard vaccination that is said ideologically". These people were not convinced by the educational work of their authorities.

Thaiss simply considers "diseases" as measles without vaccination to strengthen the body's defenses. Vaccinations are not against harmless viral infections, but serious diseases that could cause "serious complications". Therefore, the boss of the BZgA called to trust the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Immunization. "And we should be grateful that we have these vaccines," said Thaiss. © afp / aerzteblatt.de