WHY THE PANIC? No legal conditions for declaring measles epidemic, and vaccination points already opened!

(Patria) - A measles epidemic has not yet been declared, although the number of patients does not indicate that such a thing should occur, but the KS Ministry of Health has opened vaccination points, without clear instructions on which children should and can be vaccinated, other than that they must be healthy!?

Precisely because of this, and after several media reports and publications about the possible declaration or declaration of an epidemic of the infectious disease "measles" in some areas of Sarajevo Canton and Tuzla Canton, the Association for the Protection of Patients' Rights "ZAPA" Tuzla points out that the information from the field about the number of infected patients with the infectious disease "measles" in Sarajevo Canton is 12 reported cases of infection with only 3 confirmed cases of infection as of 24.01.2024) and Tuzla Canton (52 cases of infection in 4 cities/municipalities of Tuzla Canton with only five patients treated with a more severe clinical picture as of 24.01.2024.

Precisely for this reason, they believe that the legal conditions from Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Law on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases of the FBiH are not met, which definitively defines an epidemic of an infectious disease as, we quote: " ...the occurrence of an unusual number of cases of infectious diseases that are on the list of infectious diseases subject to mandatory reporting, or the occurrence of new infectious diseases that threaten public health. "

"We believe that due to the failure to meet the definitively stated legal condition from the definition of an epidemic of an infectious disease, which is an 'unusual number of cases of infectious disease,' the legal conditions for declaring an epidemic of the infectious disease 'measles' in Sarajevo Canton, Tuzla Canton, but also in other cantons of FBiH, have not been met, and this according to the procedure prescribed by Article 6, Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 of the Law on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases of the FBiH.

We are of the opinion that any declaration of any epidemic in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its cantons must be scientifically based and founded on positive legal regulations, that it must not be subject to possible populism or possible abuses of these epidemiological measures for any political or other purposes, by playing with patients' rights, which are guaranteed by international and European acts and legal standards," they emphasize.

They believe that the prevention of this disease, in the publicly announced scope, can be achieved through regular health measures: without declaring any epidemic, without forming "vaccination points," and by engaging a larger number of pediatricians in the health systems of the mentioned cantons, the lack of which is more than evident to patients on a daily basis.

"As an Association, whose statutory task is to care for patients' rights, we particularly condemn the unnecessary spread of fear and panic in the public, especially in relation to parents of minor children, all in order to protect their health.

The Association for the Protection of Patients' Rights "ZAPA" Tuzla will continue to closely monitor the work of the executive authorities of the cantons and the health institutions of the cantons, and any potential abuse of epidemiological measures or any scientifically and legally unfounded declaration of an epidemic for any disease, which would be detrimental to patients' rights and committed by responsible persons in those legal entities, will be forwarded to the competent investigative bodies," they add.