REUTERS

Ukraine's Acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun and Minister of Education and Science Lilia Hrynevych say children who have not been vaccinated according to the relevant schedule will not be allowed to attend kindergartens and schools.

The officials also urged parents to ensure their children receive a vaccine before September 1, an UNIAN correspondent reported, following a relevant briefing on August 14.

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According to Suprun, the Health Ministry has managed to significantly increase the number of vaccinations in Ukraine over the past two years.

Ukraine is fully provided with vaccines both for children and adults, she said.

In particular, Suprun mentioned Article 15 of the Ukrainian law on the protection of the population from infectious diseases, which stipulates that unvaccinated children should be prohibited from attending educational institutions.

In April 2019, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled to confirm that vaccination is mandatory, and educational institutions have the right to ban unvaccinated children from attending them.

Children under six years must be vaccinated against hepatitis B, tuberculosis, measles, rubella, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, poliomyelitis and haemophilus influenzae, while those over six years old must be revaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, rubella, and mumps.

In turn, Hrynevych said that the Education Ministry fully supports the Health Ministry's stance.

"You choose not to have your child [vaccinated,] but have other children exposed to a threat. When we organize the educational process, we must take care of all our children. If parents refuse to their children vaccinated for philosophical reasoning, they have the right to choose an alternative form of education, for example, remote or individualized learning. They may submit the relevant application to the head of the educational institution," Hrynevych added.