When Germany debated the possible introduction of a mandatory measles vaccination three years ago, it was no comparison to the ongoing controversy about the corona vaccination requirement. However, she was also controversial. Its final introduction has been postponed twice, but it will definitely come into force next Sunday – in schools, daycare centers, refugee accommodation, but also in doctor’s offices and hospitals. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health announced that a further extension of the transition period was “not planned”.
And it would probably no longer be possible in terms of time. The municipalities had only started another attempt in this direction on Tuesday: the health authorities were heavily involved in the fight against the corona pandemic, the German district association said. If now also the control of the evidence for the measles vaccination is added, the workload would be too high. That is why the Ministry of Health was asked to postpone the verification deadline again to January 1, 2023. Without success, as the ministry now finally lets you know.
The fact that there is already a very extensive vaccination requirement in Germany, that against measles, has often been overlooked in all the debates about a job-related or even general corona vaccination requirement. The measles vaccination requirement was decided in 2019 and has applied since March 1, 2020 for facilities where many people come together, for example in daycare centers, schools, communal accommodation for asylum seekers, but also for employees in health facilities such as hospitals and surgeries. This must now be proven from July 31st.
The vaccination requirement was justified with the protection not least of small children: Measles is a very contagious infectious disease that can cause serious complications; in not a few cases it ends fatally. However, some parents refuse the vaccination, which is why the vaccination rates are too low to permanently contain or even eliminate the disease. Against this background, compulsory vaccination was introduced – in two steps.
So far, for example, only those children who have just come to the respective facility, for example when they started school, had to present proof of vaccination in schools or day-care centers. This transition period ends on July 31: Now everyone else who was already at school on March 1, 2020, for example, must prove that they have been vaccinated. This also applies to the employees in these facilities. Unvaccinated children can be excluded from attending a day-care center; This is not possible in schools because of compulsory education.
Each federal state regulates who the proof has to be presented to. In most cases, this should be the facility management, which then has to inform the local health department in the event of violations. This can summon those who refuse to vaccinate to an interview, impose a fine or even a ban on employment. It is precisely this additional effort that the district council complains about and fears. “The federal government should relieve the health authorities that have been working on the attack in the last two and a half years on the timeline, in the interests of all parties of a good implementation of the measles vaccination requirement,” said a spokesman.
The transition period was originally supposed to end on July 31 of last year. It was then extended twice because of the Corona crisis: once until the end of December 2021, then until the end of July 2022.