Mendoza is the first province to challenge parents who do not vaccinate their children in court

Faced with the national health alert due to the re-emergence of measles and the deaths of at least seven children from whooping cough in the country, the government of Mendoza made the decision Report adults who do not adhere to the official vaccination schedule his children.

“The first 10 lawsuits have already been filed against parents for not vaccinating their children,” reported Mendoza Health Minister Rodolfo Montero.

This measure makes Mendoza first province in the country to resort to legal means to demand compliance with the national vaccination system. In this case, the lawsuits fall to the civil justice system.

Those reported will be summoned to a mandatory hearing during which health staff will warn parents of the serious public health risks posed by the continuation of this irregularity.

In addition, current legislation allowsr Fines and sanctions. Reach the amounts 336 thousand pesos and even five days in prisonfor fathers and mothers who do not comply with their children’s vaccination requirements.

The measure aims to do this Create awareness that herd immunity is achieved when a high percentage of the population is protected from an infectious disease.

“The goal is clear: that children are vaccinated. We don’t want to punish the children, we want to protect them. It is the judge who determines what to do. Our task is to activate the system when the child’s right to health is violated,” emphasized the head of the immunization department, Iris Aguilar.

The officer explained The greatest shortfall is for vaccines administered at 15 months of agedue to the decrease in checks of healthy children, which are carried out more frequently.

Aguilar made that clear in MendozaSchool vaccination remains above 80%: “It is an acceptable percentage, but it should exceed 95% to prevent the recurrence of diseases that have been eliminated or controlled thanks to vaccines.”

Since August of this year, the Mendoza Ministry of Health has had regulations in place to report to the courts parents, guardians or caregivers who do not adhere to the official vaccination schedule.

National law specifies that these are calendar vaccines mandatory and freefor general health reasons. Therefore, in his resolution, Mendoza emphasizes that “the principle of public health prevails over private interests” and aims to ensure the protection of the rights of minors to lead a healthy life.

“The calendar vaccinations must be used beyond the wishes of the parents.” It is the responsibility of the state to ensure compliance“, emphasizes the regulations.

In this regard, Aguilar stated: “Since the resolution was published, we have received it Threats via email and social networksof all kinds, by intolerant anti-vaccination groups.”

The vaccination specialist reiterated her belief that this was not an individual decision, but that the vaccination plan would be taken over by the state. “That is clear Vaccines save lives And no matter how much they threaten us or trigger such actions on social networks, our mission is to protect the population,” he said.

Aguilar urged the population not to be deceived by false messages, “by pseudoscientific stories or information that only harms health in general, even if it is a health expert who advises against vaccinating a child.”

In the case of the vaccine measlesThe examples Aguilar refers to are powerful: “One in a thousand children can die“One in 2,000 could have encephalitis and four to six in 100,000 could have mild encephalitis, which is very fatal.”

The new regulation states that parents who fail to vaccinate children, adolescents or incapacitated people in their care can be reported and punished with fines ranging from 84,000 to 336,000 pesos.

They can be that too sentenced to community service in hospitals or up to five days in detention under Article 119 of the Provincial Offenses Act.

Aguilar clarified that the protocol grants parents a period of 30 days on compliance with the required vaccinations in case they have avoided vaccination at school or when necessary: ​​“Many families prefer to wait to go to a trusted medical center or to the private sector, but this deadline is intended to organize and guarantee access.”

If the vaccination is not recorded in the provincial computer system at the end of this period, the Ministry of Health may begin the verification process and, if non-compliance is confirmed, lodge a formal complaint.

The case will be referred to the judiciary to contact the responsible adults, determine the steps to be followed and impose the appropriate sanctions.

Another major concern in the country is the decline in vaccination among young people. Ideally, vaccination coverage should exceed 90% of the target population, while vaccinations for this age are around 75%.

In the case of the vaccine, however Human papillomavirus (HPV)added to the calendar at the age of 11 for men and women to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, the insurance coverage at the state level for women is with the first dose 66.98% and with the second dose (which is not included in the national calendar for free) this is the case 34.62%.

In men, the first dose of HPV covers 60.92% of the Argentine adolescent population, while for the second dose the deficit is significantly larger, at only 27.82%.