The Ministries of Health and Education, Science and Innovation are silent on how they will organize classes in the event that non-vaccinated children are banned from staying in collectives or if the parents of children who have not received the MMR vaccine listen to the competent epidemiologists and decide not to send them to kindergarten and school.
The Institute for Public Health (IJZ) proposes that in a situation where three municipalities record a smallpox epidemic, unvaccinated children do not go to school, their parents protest, and the two competent ministries do not provide answers to questions regarding additional measures to protect children from this infectious disease, ways teaching organizations, as well as whether they are considering banning non-vaccinated children from attending kindergarten, given that preschool education is not mandatory according to the Constitution and laws.
"The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation follows the instructions of the IJZ and the Ministry of Health and will act in accordance with them," reads the reply of the department, which it manages Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, "News".
A smallpox epidemic was reported in Podgorica, Budva, and three days ago in Rožaje, when the Ministry of Health called on parents not to send unvaccinated children to collectives.
"Vijesti" asked the Ministry of Education whether they are preparing the education system for possible online classes, given that the epidemic has already been reported in three municipalities.
According to the IJZ guide, intended for pre-school and school institutions, in the event that all children who have not been vaccinated in accordance with their age and vaccination schedule are reported to be ill with measles, the decision of the competent inspection may prevent attendance at that school and kindergarten until the end of the two maximum incubation periods. For all children from that educational institution who have not been vaccinated against measles, as it says in the guide, it is necessary to organize online classes.
Yesterday, a group of citizens protested in front of the IJZ because of the recent proposal of that health institution to the Ministry of Health to amend the Law on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases in order to limit the stay of unvaccinated children in kindergartens and schools or to issue a temporary order due to the epidemiological situation. In the announcement of the IJZ, it is stated that the citizens protested due to inadequate information about the importance of the vaccine.
"Respecting the right to human and civil liberties, we want to emphasize that today's protest is the result of inadequate information among individuals about the safety and importance of vaccination as a preventive measure for the suppression and spread of many infectious diseases."
From that institution, they said that, as responsible healthcare workers, they respect individual freedom and autonomy, but they emphasized the importance of responsible behavior towards the community, because vaccination, as they emphasized, is not only a matter of personal choice.
"With vaccination, we protect not only ourselves, but also persons who cannot be vaccinated due to weakened immunity or some other medical reasons," said the IJZ.
The Ministry of Health did not answer whether they will take additional measures to increase the coverage of vaccinated children, considering that the measles epidemic was reported in another municipality, and that the school year has started. They did not say whether they are considering limiting the stay of unvaccinated children in kindergartens, given the fact that preschool education is not mandatory according to the Constitution and laws.
Children are enrolled in kindergartens with a certificate from the selected pediatrician, who in that document, in case the child has not received the MMR vaccine, states that he has not been vaccinated and is in the process of being vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health recalled its earlier position that more restrictive measures will be adopted only if positive measures aimed at increasing the coverage of vaccinated children do not yield results.
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