The Municipal Council for Children and Adolescents (Codeni) of Presidente Franco, in the department of Alto Paraná, has extrajudicially notified the parents of three children who refuse to vaccinate them against measles and other preventable diseases. The measure was taken after the Family Health Unit (USF) of the San Miguel neighborhood reported the case, having exhausted attempts at dialogue and awareness-raising.
According to the head of Codeni, lawyer Balbina Almada, the parents are “roundly” opposed to immunizing their children, including infants a few months old, whose vaccination history is unknown to health authorities. “This is very serious,” said Almada, who stated she has been the target of criticism on social media after the notification.
The extrajudicial notice warns of the legal consequences should the children fall ill from preventable diseases. Law 4621/15 makes child vaccination mandatory, and the Children’s Code and the National Constitution guarantee the right to health and the best interests of the child. Almada highlighted that resistance among some parents has increased after the pandemic, fueled by misinformation about vaccine efficacy, although Paraguay historically has high rates of child immunization.
If the family does not regularize the vaccination records within the stipulated deadline, the case will be forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Public Defender's Office. The court may order mandatory vaccination as a protective measure. Repeated refusal may constitute the crime of violation of the duty of care, provided for in Paraguayan legislation with a penalty of up to three years in prison or a fine, especially if the minors become ill due to parental omission.
Almada stated that Codeni has an institutional duty to act to protect the lives and health of defenseless children. “If we do not act, we are also responsible,” she said. The case was classified as the most serious ever recorded in Presidente Franco since she took office, because in previous situations it was possible to convince parents through guidance and monitoring.