Status: 15.01.2024, 16:20 PM
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A pediatrician vaccinates a one-year-old child in the thigh against measles. © Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/Archivbild
Children in daycare centers and schools must be vaccinated against measles or immune. How is this checked in Saxony-Anhalt?
Magdeburg/Halle - In connection with the measles vaccination requirement, the health authorities in Saxony-Anhalt have so far investigated several hundred suspected cases of violations. In the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, for example, there were 123 reports, according to a survey of municipalities by the German Press Agency. In 89 cases, the corresponding proof was provided, 34 cases are still open.
Since 1 March 2020, the Measles Protection Act has been in force nationwide. Parents of kindergarten and school children must prove that their children are vaccinated or immune. For children between one and two years of age, one vaccination is sufficient, after which they must have at least two vaccinations. Alternatively, parents can provide a medical certificate of adequate immunity to measles.
The regulation also applies to employees born after 1970. The institutions must check the proof before the start of the care or employment. If it is missing, the case must be reported to the health authorities. As a rule, they first write to the family and can invite them to a consultation. If there is no solution, the office can pronounce a ban on entry or activity - but not for schoolchildren because of compulsory schooling. Fines are also possible.
The affected facilities are obliged to report unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated persons via a portal. "Currently, we have registered about 500 cases that have to be processed differently," the Börde district said on request. "The process is very time-consuming because it always looks at the individual case."
In Dessau-Roßlau, 117 people have been reported so far, according to the city administration. Of these, more than 80 percent of the people had been able to prove a vaccination status, a spokesman said. "The rest of the people are currently being contacted and heard. No entry bans, fines or periodic penalty payments have yet been issued."
In the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, 128 people have been reported through institutions, in the Burgenlandkreis there are 223 so far. The Stendal health department currently has eleven reports, five from schools and six from daycare centers. The persons concerned were asked to provide proof of measles vaccination or a medical certificate attesting to the existence of a medical contraindication.
The Salzland district said that conflicts around vaccination or proof were rather rare. Only individual cases are known, including employees in daycare centers or after-school care centers who refuse to be vaccinated or to present proof. Dpa