Hong Kong urges parents not to delay childhood vaccinations as US limits jabs
Hong Kong authorities have defended the city’s childhood vaccination programme after the United States scaled back its immunisation recommendations, stressing that public health policies should not be “arbitrarily altered”. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Tuesday that all public health policies and medical recommendations had to be based on scientific evidence. “Vaccination…
The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has defended the city's childhood vaccination program following the United States' reduction of its immunisation recommendations. The CHP emphasized that public health policies should not be "arbitrarily altered" and stressed the importance of basing all health policies and medical recommendations on scientific evidence.
The Childhood Immunisation Programme in Hong Kong requires children from birth to Primary Six to receive vaccines against 11 diseases, including tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal infection, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella. The programme also offers HPV vaccinations for eligible primary school girls to prevent cervical cancer.
The CHP reminded parents to ensure their children receive vaccinations as per the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme to provide comprehensive and timely protection against infectious diseases. Meanwhile, the US has proposed limiting vaccination recommendations to certain high-risk groups or populations, particularly for respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibodies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, and dengue.
The US government also aims to challenge any state laws requiring school attendance for vaccinated children, citing concerns over parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodation, and equal protection under the law.
In Hong Kong, the guardians of a baby, Danny, located under the Social Welfare Department's guardianship, sought a legal order to review the custody decision. Parents expressed "fear and anger" over the authorities' plan to vaccinate Danny, arguing that the "medical intervention" was against their wishes. The CHP acknowledged the value of vaccination, stating that the high trust and support from parents, schools, and healthcare professionals have maintained extremely high immunisation coverage in Hong Kong.
This has successfully kept the incidence of related childhood infectious diseases extremely low, according to Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the centre. The government also defended the effectiveness of combination vaccines, such as MMR and MMRV, asserting that they are safe and effective, with the added advantage of reducing the number of injections children need and lowering the risk of missed doses.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
