Children could be banned from school if they don't get vaccinated – as Health Secretary refuses to rule it out

YOUNGSTERS who have not been properly vaccinated could face exclusion from school.
More than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PAMore than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PA
More than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PA

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has refused to rule out the measure but has said ‘I don't think we're there yet’. 

It comes as new figures reveal that more than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. 

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Hancock has blamed the spread of ‘lies’ on social media for the rise in parents not vaccinating their children. 

More than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PAMore than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PA
More than half a million children in the UK were not vaccinated against measles over an eight-year period. Picture: PA
Read More
Hundreds of fire doors at Queen Alexandra Hospital ‘not robust enough’ and are n...

He has said that the rise in people not vaccinating had to be tackled, and that he was ‘particularly worried’ about the spread of anti-vaccination messages online.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he was meeting social media companies on Monday to 'require that they do more to take down lies that are promoted on social media about the impact of vaccinations’.

He said: ‘Vaccination is safe, it's very, very important for the public health - for everybody's health - and we're going to tackle it.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Mirror reports that during an appearance on TalkRadio this morning, Mr Hancock was asked if the UK should follow France in excluding students who haven't been vaccinated from school. 

He said: ‘I don't think we're there yet, I wouldn't rule out anything, but I don't think we're there yet.

‘In America they tried to do this but the courts stopped them, so it can be complicated. But really it's people's responsibility as a parent to do the right thing for their own children as well as for the community that everybody lives in.’ 

The charity Unicef said increasing numbers of youngsters are being left unprotected against measles, which can cause disability and death.

Unicef's analysis shows that an estimated 169 million children around the world missed out on the first dose of the measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017 - an average of 21.1 million a year.