[Vaccination--duty and voluntary consent].

Abstract

High mass inoculation rates--e.g. against measles, mumps and rubella or German measles--are mandatory in highly industrialised countries to keep circulation of wild strains of viruses as low as possible. In the GDR this was achieved, inter alia, by compulsory vaccination. Although compulsory vaccination is possible in the FRG as well, in accordance with the Federal Epidemics law, it needs a special ordinance requiring to be approved by the Federal Council. This, in turn, will be forthcoming only if there is an incidence of infectious diseases occurring in a malignant form of if it is to be expected that they will be spreading in the manner of an epidemic. Experiences gathered in other European countries (France, Italy) and in the U.S.A. have shown that success of compulsory vaccination depends on early control. Examples in individual Federal Laender and in England prove that high mass inoculation rates can be achieved even without compulsion if there is close cooperation between practising paediatricians and Public Health services.