Vaccination of children against infectious diseases is a legal obligation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and parents who avoid it are subject to fines of up to 2,000 BAM (about 1,000 euros).
However, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in the last 20 years, the number of children vaccinated against smallpox (measles) has decreased.
According to the records of that organization, in 2000, 74 percent of children in BiH received a second dose of the measles vaccine, while in 2022, 60 percent of those vaccinated were recorded.
Penalties are imposed by inspections at 12 levels of government, but there is no data on the total number of parents punished.
Mirona from Banja Luka sees the solution in harsher punishments against those who refuse to vaccinate children.
“I would punish parents who don’t vaccinate their children.What is happening now didn’t happen back then when everyone was vaccinated, because parents now pretend to be very smart,” noted Mirona from Banja Luka.
No unique data
BiH does not have a single database on the number of children affected by measles and other infectious diseases, as well as common vaccination statistics.
Separate records are kept by two BiH entities, as well as ten cantons in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), and Brcko District as the third administrative unit, given that the competence in the field of health is divided between several levels of government, Radio Slobodna Evropa writes.
