Measles More education instead of vaccination

Justice Minister Heiko Maas sees mandatory vaccination as a last resort

02/25/2015

The death of a measles-suffering infant in Berlin has sparked another heated debate over the pros and cons of compulsory coverage. As Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas (SPD) told the "Bild" newspaper, this is "legally not excluded", yet it should only be used as a last resort to prevent its spread. Instead, more education should be conducted.

One and a half year old boy dies in Berlin after measles disease
As reported by the Berlin Senate Department for Health and Social Affairs, "the one-and-a-half-year-old boy died on 18 February as a result of a severe measles disease". The child had first fever six days earlier and later in the course of cough and the typical itchy itchy rash received. The condition of the child deteriorated, so that on February 14, the hospitalized admission to a hospital, where the boy died four days later, the message continues.

Controversial discussions on the subject of "compulsory vaccination"
As reported by the Senate administration, the child was not vaccinated against measles - a sensitive topic, which repeatedly provides for heated discussions about the pros and cons of vaccination. As Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas (SPD) now told the "Bild" newspaper, this should generally be only the last resort against the spread of the disease - but still applies, "who does not vaccinate, endangers our all health and life."

Measles wave is rampant in Berlin since October 2014
A mandatory vaccination against measles was therefore "legally not excluded," the Minister continued to the newspaper. Nevertheless, in the first step, "everything should be done to better inform people about the dangers and risks of missing vaccine protection". From the point of view of the Senate Administration, "the only protection against measles [.] Is vaccination." Accordingly, the administration recommends to examine whether there is measles vaccine protection and to seek insecurity from a family doctor and, if necessary, get vaccinated - especially for those , "Who were born after 1970". The measles wave, which has been rampant in Berlin since October 2014, is one of the strongest in recent years, with 574 measles cases reported to date, according to the information provided by the senate administration to the "dpa". (No)