Nearly 200 protesters came to the president’s office to demand equal access to education for unvaccinated children on Aug. 22.
Currently, unvaccinated children are not allowed to attend school, a restriction some parents claim is discriminatory.
The protester came out in response to a joint statement about vaccination made by Acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun and Minister of Education and Science Liliya Hrynevych on Aug. 14. The officials reminded Ukrainian parents that unvaccinated children — except those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons — will not be allowed to attend school starting from Sept. 1, when the school year begins in Ukraine.
“An unvaccinated child is dangerous to other children, teachers and their families,” Suprun said during the press conference.
The statement came amid recurring measles outbreaks in Ukraine. The most recent one began in early August.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, Ukraine saw the largest increases in measles cases between 2017 and 2018. UNICEF’s research indicates that there were 35,120 cases of measles in Ukraine last year.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Health has repeatedly emphasized the importance of vaccination in fighting measles outbreaks.
For those parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children, the Ministry of Education and Science offers two options: distance learning or individual classes.
