Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that measles cases were on the rise.
January alone saw 500 reported cases of the disease around Europe. Because of this, governments are starting to make vaccinations mandatory by law.
In May, Italy made vaccinations mandatory for all children to combat the spread of 12 diseases. And now, France is going to follow suit.
By 2018, it will be illegal for parents in France to not vaccinate their children. Overall 11 vaccinations, including those for polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, will be mandatory.
The decision came after French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said that it was “unacceptable” that children were still “dying of measles.”
Between 2008 and 2016, over 24,000 cases of measles were reported in France. 1,500 of these cases suffered complications, leading to the deaths of 10 children.
However, considerable numbers of people in the country still express a distrust of vaccinations.
According to a study conducted by Ipsos, just 52 percent of people living in France believe that benefits of vaccinations outweigh the risks.
Three out of 10 participants said that they don’t trust vaccinations at all.
This movement of people choosing not to vaccinate their children has been on the rise ever since a paper was published in medical journal The Lancet linking the MMR vaccine to autism.
The paper was discredited again and again by medical professionals, but its ‘findings’ still influence the arguments of ‘anti-vaxxers’ around the world.
Mandatory vaccinations do not currently exist in the UK, but the British Medical Association are reportedly trying to submit findings to the government about the benefits of introducing such a law.
So, could Ireland be next?
