Why vaccines are essential

Health professionals are rallying around in support of the French government's plan to make 11 vaccines compulsory for children. Prof. Philippe Sansonetti, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the Institut Pasteur, signed the petition launched by the French Society of Pediatricians, together with more than 1,300 colleagues and infancy specialists. He reminds us that vaccines are effective against potentially severe, often contagious diseases. He believes that the dangerously insufficient levels of vaccination coverage in France justify making some vaccinations compulsory. But he emphasizes that this measure should be backed up by a major information campaign.

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