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Parents worried about measles shots campaign
By Christine Cai and Even Liang |
September 10, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A NATIONAL campaign to eliminate measles starts tomorrow and will run until September 20.
All local children between eight months and 14 years old (including children at international schools) will be offered free vaccinations.
However, although the health authorities say the vaccinations are voluntary, many parents are complaining that schools and community hospitals have been saying that all children must have the shots. Some parents said online that teachers even told their children they could not to go to school if they refused the injection.
But the city's schools, including its international schools, said that although they had been asked to encourage students to receive the shots, they were never told to force students to take part in the campaign.
"If teachers force the kids to receive shots and they showed adverse reactions, we cannot afford to take the responsibility," said Li Dan, principal of the Benxi Road Kindergarten.
She said many parents had expressed their concern about the campaign and she expected that fewer than 95 percent of children at the kindergarten would receive the shots.
Health authorities say a 95 percent injection rate is the minimum to establish a strong immunity.
Among those who declined to receive the shots at Li's kindergarten, some children have allergies while some parents are worried about potential side effects.
Li said they will try to persuade parents to let their children have the shots by educating them about the campaign rather than forcing them to take part.
"After all, the inoculation is on a voluntary basis," she said.
The vaccines were all domestically made by qualified producers and the entire process of production, transport and injection was strictly monitored, according to the Shanghai Health Bureau.
It encouraged people to call the 12320 hotline for advice.
Some 610 medical teams have been established to offer measles shots at schools and kindergartens for students and more than 360 clinics have been set up at clinics for children who don't go to a kindergarten.
The bureau has designated four city-level hospitals and 49 district-level hospitals to receive any children found to have suffered an adverse reaction to the shots.
All local children between eight months and 14 years old (including children at international schools) will be offered free vaccinations.
However, although the health authorities say the vaccinations are voluntary, many parents are complaining that schools and community hospitals have been saying that all children must have the shots. Some parents said online that teachers even told their children they could not to go to school if they refused the injection.
But the city's schools, including its international schools, said that although they had been asked to encourage students to receive the shots, they were never told to force students to take part in the campaign.
"If teachers force the kids to receive shots and they showed adverse reactions, we cannot afford to take the responsibility," said Li Dan, principal of the Benxi Road Kindergarten.
She said many parents had expressed their concern about the campaign and she expected that fewer than 95 percent of children at the kindergarten would receive the shots.
Health authorities say a 95 percent injection rate is the minimum to establish a strong immunity.
Among those who declined to receive the shots at Li's kindergarten, some children have allergies while some parents are worried about potential side effects.
Li said they will try to persuade parents to let their children have the shots by educating them about the campaign rather than forcing them to take part.
"After all, the inoculation is on a voluntary basis," she said.
The vaccines were all domestically made by qualified producers and the entire process of production, transport and injection was strictly monitored, according to the Shanghai Health Bureau.
It encouraged people to call the 12320 hotline for advice.
Some 610 medical teams have been established to offer measles shots at schools and kindergartens for students and more than 360 clinics have been set up at clinics for children who don't go to a kindergarten.
The bureau has designated four city-level hospitals and 49 district-level hospitals to receive any children found to have suffered an adverse reaction to the shots.
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