Use force to vaccinate: Panel

KOZHIKODE: The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) has asked the health secretary to take over the children of parents who are resisting vaccination and give them the dosage by using the power of Juvenile Justice Act 2015. The commission has ordered child welfare committees, police, social justice and health departments to make use of it.

Further, the commission has also asked for formulation of laws so as to slap non-bailable criminal cases against those who campaign against programmes which come under the National immunisation scheme. “The vaccines which are used to run the immunisation programme should also come under the law to ensure that the propaganda against such vaccines invite criminal action,” says the order.

The government should seek the advice of Advocate-General, director general of prosecutions and law secretary to use sections under IPC and JJ Act against those who worked against National immunisation programme. KeSCPCR has alerted the Social Justice Director to evolve a special immunisation programme for orphanages. “Vaccination should be completely implemented in all orphanages failing which the licence can be cancelled,” the order warns.

The commission’s order ambiguously stated that no parent could deny vaccination to their child in the name of fundamental rights or customs/believes. KeSCPCR came down heavily on the health department for its failure to rein in the anti-vaccination lobby. “Health department has woken up late. It waited till the occurring of four diphtheria deaths in 2015 and this year. No full-fledged awareness measures were carried out to nail the anti-vaccination propagandists,” said KeSCPCR chairperson Shoba Koshy.