Diphtheria on the rise: Kerala Child Rights Commission calls for legal action against anti-vaccine lobby

“Not providing vaccination to children is a blatant violation of their fundamental rights,” the commission observed.
Diphtheria on the rise: Kerala Child Rights Commission calls for legal action against anti-vaccine lobby
Diphtheria on the rise: Kerala Child Rights Commission calls for legal action against anti-vaccine lobby
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Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has approached the government seeking the formation of a special law that would make propaganda against immunisation a nonbailable offence.

Observing that the health department officials had failed in ensuring total immunisation, the commission said that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of its people. The direction comes in the wake of rise in the number of diphtheria cases reported mainly from Kasargod and Malappuram districts, reports say.

Identifying immunisation as a right of every individual, the commission said that attempts at dissuading people from getting vaccinated must be regarded as a criminal offence. “Not providing vaccination to children is a blatant violation of their fundamental rights,” the commission observed.

The Hindu reports that a full bench of the commission comprising chairperson Shobha Koshy, members K Nazeer and Glory Geroge also called for the need to set up a comprehensive scheme to ensure total immunization and its monitoring through time-bound status reports from every district.

The commission also sought an action plan for preparation of video clippings, documentaries, and short films, to be broadcast/telecast in cinemas, and on television and radio for three years continuously and then at regular intervals, the newspaper reported. 

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