[ad_1]
Copyright of the image
Science Photo Library
US Secretary of Health Matt Hancock said he is ready to consider "all options" to increase vaccination levels in England, including mandatory vaccination.
Mr. Hancock told the BBC that he did not want to "reach the point" of imposing blows, but that he "excluded nothing".
In the UK, more than half a million children have not been vaccinated against measles between 2010 and 2017, UNICEF said.
In March, the head of the NHS England warned that the "deniers of vaccination" were gaining ground on social networks.
- Minister targets anti-vaccination websites
- Mom of a woman with measles disability over responsibility to vaccinate
The state secretary for health said after a report in the Times claimed that nearly 40,000 British parents had joined an online group calling for children not to be immunized against life-threatening diseases such as tetanus.
In England, the proportion of children receiving both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine before their fifth birthday has fallen to 87.2% over the past four years.
This figure is less than 95% according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as being the level necessary to protect a population against a disease.
The WHO has declared the United Kingdom measles-free highly contagious for the first time in 2017.
But in 2018, the country experienced small epidemics and in March this year, the number of cases in Greater Manchester increased sharply.
Multimedia playback is not supported on your device
"Science is settled"
Speaking on Radio 4's Today show, Mr Hancock said: "Not to vaccinate without good reason is wrong.
"These people who campaign against vaccination are campaigning against science – science is settled.
"I do not want to be forced to reach the compulsory vaccination point, and I do not think we're close to it, but I will not dismiss anything."
He added that failure to vaccinate children endangers those who can not be vaccinated for medical reasons.
"Vaccination is good for you, your child, your neighbor and your community," he added.
[ad_2]
Source link