Health minister promises tough measures against opponents of vaccination
13.05.2019,
17:03
Armenian Health Minister Arsen Torosyan told a news conference today he was ready to resort to tough measures to silence opponents of vaccination if the number of citizens agreeing to be vaccinated continues to drop.
YEREVAN, May 13 /ARKA/. Armenian Health Minister Arsen Torosyan told a news conference today he was ready to resort to tough measures to silence opponents of vaccination if the number of citizens agreeing to be vaccinated continues to drop.
He cited the example of Russia, whose parliament is considering introduction of criminal liability for calls to refuse vaccination.
‘If vaccination coverage in Armenia drops, which would certainly lead to epidemics, we would have to take tougher steps. It’s a matter of preserving the health of our population and our children. These are the vaccines that save lives," he said.
Torosyan said it is alarming that the rate of vaccination against measles has fallen below 90%. ՞The world is moving towards the elimination of the disease, and we must continue our steps in this direction. For example, poliomyelitis is on the verge of complete eradication, and if the opposite trend continues, we will again have many dead and children with disabilities," said Torosyan.
Regarding the refusal of many parents to have their children vaccinated against papillomavirus, the minister said Armenia, like many countries around the world, decided to fight cervical cancer because 120 women die of this disease in the country every year.
The minister stated that there is no evidence of the danger of vaccination and called for removing this topic from the agenda. He said the licensing system will be introduced in Armenia for doctors and those who will oppose vaccination will be deprived of licenses like in developed countries.
In December 2017, Armenia began vaccinating girls against papillomavirus to prevent the development of cervical cancer. However, although 18 months have passed since the first vaccination, a small number of citizens agreed to have their girls vaccinated against papillomavirus.
The vaccination is opposed by a public organization called the Armenian National Health Council, which urged the authorities to organize hearings on vaccination with Gardasil drug on grounds that there are many contradicting reports about its aftereffects. The public organization believes also that there is no papillomavirus epidemic in the country. -0-
He cited the example of Russia, whose parliament is considering introduction of criminal liability for calls to refuse vaccination.
‘If vaccination coverage in Armenia drops, which would certainly lead to epidemics, we would have to take tougher steps. It’s a matter of preserving the health of our population and our children. These are the vaccines that save lives," he said.
Torosyan said it is alarming that the rate of vaccination against measles has fallen below 90%. ՞The world is moving towards the elimination of the disease, and we must continue our steps in this direction. For example, poliomyelitis is on the verge of complete eradication, and if the opposite trend continues, we will again have many dead and children with disabilities," said Torosyan.
Regarding the refusal of many parents to have their children vaccinated against papillomavirus, the minister said Armenia, like many countries around the world, decided to fight cervical cancer because 120 women die of this disease in the country every year.
The minister stated that there is no evidence of the danger of vaccination and called for removing this topic from the agenda. He said the licensing system will be introduced in Armenia for doctors and those who will oppose vaccination will be deprived of licenses like in developed countries.
In December 2017, Armenia began vaccinating girls against papillomavirus to prevent the development of cervical cancer. However, although 18 months have passed since the first vaccination, a small number of citizens agreed to have their girls vaccinated against papillomavirus.
The vaccination is opposed by a public organization called the Armenian National Health Council, which urged the authorities to organize hearings on vaccination with Gardasil drug on grounds that there are many contradicting reports about its aftereffects. The public organization believes also that there is no papillomavirus epidemic in the country. -0-
