In order to overcome the corona pandemic, Ecuador has decided to make vaccinations compulsory – and this is unique in the world for all residents aged five and over. The new measure was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Health, which at the same time emphasized the constitutionality of the mandatory vaccination.
Exceptions should only be made for people who have proven health reasons against vaccination.
First compulsory vaccination for adolescents
A compulsory vaccination for the entire adult population of a country is rare worldwide. Among other things, it was imposed in the autocratically ruled Central Asian countries of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In Europe, Austria has announced a general compulsory vaccination from February next year.
There is still no compulsory vaccination for children and adolescents anywhere in the world.
In Ecuador around 69 percent of the 17.7 million inhabitants are currently vaccinated, around 900,000 people already have a booster vaccination. (zis / AFP)