Measles: what does mandatory vaccination mean?
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.On July 17th, the federal ministers passed a law on compulsory vaccination against measles. The measles protection law is primarily intended to protect school and kindergarten children from the dangerous infectious disease. What are the arguments in favor of compulsory vaccination and who does it affect? What are the deadlines? What if you refuse? Here you find the answers.
Why do you make measles vaccination compulsory?
Experts and politicians have long discussed the compulsory vaccination against measles. It has now been decided for the following reasons:
High risk of infection: measles is a very contagious disease. In a group of 100 unprotected people, on average only two do not get sick.
Fatal courses: Measles is not a harmless childhood disease - it can even be fatal! 20 percent suffer complications such as pneumonia or meningitis. One in 1000 people who get sick also dies in countries with a high medical standard.
Unvaccinated people endanger the weaker: Those who do not have measles protection themselves endanger not only themselves but also others who cannot get vaccination protection, for example infants under six months of age. With them, the disease is also often particularly severe. People who suffer from immunodeficiency are also at risk.
Extermination would be possible: If 95 percent of a community were protected, the so-called herd protection could take full effect. That is, the measles could hardly find hosts in which to spread. This could eradicate the disease.
Who needs to be vaccinated?
School and kindergarten children: The draft law stipulates that all children must have both measles vaccinations recommended by the Standing Vaccination Commission when they enter school or kindergarten. This also applies to children who are looked after by a childminder.
Educators, teachers, medical staff, etc .: Adults born after 1970 who work in community or medical facilities must also provide evidence that they have been vaccinated against measles.
Asylum seekers and refugees: Asylum seekers and refugees must provide proof of vaccination four weeks after they have been admitted to collective accommodation.
What are the deadlines?
Children who are already being cared for in kindergarten and school or in other community facilities must prove by July 31, 2021 that they are protected against measles.
Unvaccinated children can be excluded from attending kindergarten or daycare. Unvaccinated personnel are not allowed to work in community or health facilities.
How can I prove that I have measles protection?
The vaccination certificate is usually used as proof. If someone has already had measles and is therefore protected, they can prove this with a medical certificate. This may require a blood test to confirm your immunity (the presence of antibodies in the blood).
Not having children who go to kindergartens or school vaccinated will in future be considered an administrative offense. Parents can expect fines of up to 2,500 euros. Such a fine can also be imposed on day-care centers that accept unvaccinated children.
A fine can also be imposed on unvaccinated staff in community facilities, health facilities and asylum seekers' accommodation, as well as on non-vaccinated residents of such accommodation.
This is how you can get vaccinated
A measles vaccination is usually carried out by your family doctor or the pediatrician. It is recommended to everyone who was born after 1970 and was not (or only once) vaccinated against measles in childhood.
Children receive the first dose of vaccine between 11 and 14 months of age and the second between 15 and 23 months of age. The vaccination takes place with a combination vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). The health insurance pays the costs.
In the future, all doctors should be allowed to have vaccinations - with the exception of dentists. In addition, voluntary series vaccinations are to be increased in schools. A digital vaccination card could in future automatically remind you of appointments for follow-up and booster vaccinations.
How safe is the vaccination?
The vaccination is well tolerated. Because it activates the body's own defenses, redness or swelling often develop at the injection site. In addition, some vaccinated people react with a high temperature, headache or gastrointestinal complaints, which go away after about three days.
Two to five out of 100 people who are vaccinated also develop so-called "vaccine measles" with a measles-like rash one to four weeks after the vaccination. However, these are easy and not contagious.
Serious complications are very rare. An evaluation by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) for the years between 2001 and 2012 showed that for every 100,000 vaccine doses issued, an average of 5.7 cases of complications were reported. More than half of those affected made a full recovery. However, 0.9 percent of the complications found were fatal.
That is how dangerous measles really is
Measles viruses not only cause harmless symptoms such as the typical red, itchy pustules, fever or a slight otitis media.
Pneumonia: In addition, measles patients often get pneumonia as well. These can be triggered directly by the measles virus or by bacteria, which the measles-weakened body is less able to fight.
Paralysis, speech disorders: a dangerous consequence of measles is inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). They can leave long-term damage such as paralysis or speech disorders. Ten to 20 percent of affected patients die.
Fatal long-term consequences: what is known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is particularly feared. It only breaks out years after infection and is always fatal. Patients become increasingly mentally mental, suffer from seizures, and eventually fall into a coma. It can take up to three years from the appearance of symptoms to death.
This terrible sequelae of the disease affects young children, especially infants, more often than adult patients. Of 3,300 children with measles under the age of five, one later develops subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
Arguments against compulsory vaccination
Nevertheless, there are also experts who - although they are fundamentally in favor of vaccination - speak out against compulsory vaccination. There are arguments against compulsory vaccination
- Compulsory vaccination violates self-determination.
- The compulsory vaccination does not apply where the greatest vaccination gaps are, namely for adults born after 1970.
- Most children are vaccinated anyway.
- Most are ready to be vaccinated but forget about it. A reminder system would be sufficient.
- Compulsory vaccination would increase resistance from vaccination skeptics and critics.
- The compulsory vaccination could weaken the willingness to vaccinate against other diseases.
