Should vaccinations be compulsory?

With measles infections on the rise in the UK, should vaccinations be made compulsory? Measles is an ‘entirely preventable’ disease, says the UN – and for a while the UK and other developed countries had prevented it. But during the first three months of this year, the World Health Organisation reported 112,000 cases of measles. Over the same time last year it was 28,000 In the UK we once again have outbreaks of measles and a falling vaccination rate. David Aaronovitch asks how much this matters and whether, as the Health Secretary has said recently, we should rule nothing out, even including compulsory vaccination. CONTRIBUTORS Gareth Williams, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Bristol and author of Angel of Death: The Story of Smallpox Professor Heidi Larson, director of The Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Hugh Whittall, director of The Nuffield Council on Bioethics Dr Stephen John, Hatton Lecturer in the Philosophy of Public Health at the University of Cambridge Producers: Richard Fenton-Smith & Serena Tarling Researcher: Kirsteen Knight Editor: Jasper Corbett