Mugoša proposed a control hearing of Šimun on the topic of coverage of children vaccinated with the MMR vaccine

The President of the European Union (EU) parliamentary group, Boris Mugoša, proposed a control hearing of the Minister of Health, Vojislav Šimun, on the topic of coverage of children vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

As announced by the EC, Mugoša proposed that representatives of the Institute of Public Health (IJZ), UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Association of Pediatricians and the Association for Preventive Pediatrics be invited to the hearing.

Mugoša said that the hearing would contribute to a more comprehensive view of the problem, that is, an analysis of the results of activities carried out by the responsible institutions.

He pointed to UNICEF's warning about the drastic drop in vaccination coverage in Montenegro.

"Timely coverage with the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine for children born in 2024 is only 13 percent, according to data from the Public Health Institute of Montenegro from April this year," Mugoša reminded.

He added that the current coverage of just 13 percent among children born in 2024 is the lowest in Europe and among the lowest in the world. "This means that the majority of children in Montenegro are unprotected and at high risk of one of the most contagious diseases."

Mugoša recalled the Public Health Institute's assessment that this is a historic minimum when it comes to MMR vaccine coverage, adding that this coverage percentage represents a drastic drop compared to the 88 percent it was in 2013.

Mugoša also recalled that, at his initiative, an parliamentary control hearing of the authorities on the same topic was held three years ago and that the relevant parliamentary committee unanimously adopted a conclusion proposing a set of concrete measures to increase the coverage of vaccinated children.

The authorities, he added, have not produced any results.