Should childhood vaccination be mandatory?

Routine vaccinations have helped virtually eradicate diseases around the world.

Access to childhood vaccinations has meant people are protected against once-deadly diseases and epidemics like diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps and rubella.

In the UK, all children are offered a round of vaccinations starting at eight weeks and continuing until they are toddlers.

However in recent years, a curious ‘anti-vax’ movement has grown. More and more parents are refusing to immunise their children because of potential risks and side effects.

In particular, many are refusing to vaccinate for measles, mumps and rubella, because of a perceived link to children developing autism as a result of receiving the MMR shot.

The idea has taken hold so powerfully that in 2017, there was a measles outbreak in the UK, posing serious risks to anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated.

The subject provokes hot debate; those against vaccination believe it should be a family’s prerogative to choose what’s best for their children.

Those in favour of vaccination argue that the anti-vax movement isn’t based on science, and those who refuse these immunisations put all of society at risk by increasing the likelihood that these diseases will spread.

The controversy has led other European countries like Italy and France to make vaccination mandatory.

In the UK, vaccination is not currently mandatory.

There are around 24,000 children a year in England who are not immunised against measles, mumps and rubella.

What do you think? Should vaccinations be made mandatory to help prevent disease outbreak? Or is this a decision that’s best left with the family?