Poll: Parents Would Ban Kids Without Shots From School

Nearly 90 percent of all Israelis regularly inoculate their children against childhood diseases, and two-thirds do not want children who are not inoculated to attend class with their children, a new study by the Israeli Medical Association shows. The poll queried a representative sample of 361 parents of children six and under in the Jewish and Arab sectors, and found that by a very wide margin, all were advocates of inoculations.

Most of those parents fully believe in inoculations – meaning that they dismiss stories and rumors that inoculations are responsible for various medical conditions such as autism, or that they cause more harm than good. 70 percent of all parents have no hesitation when it comes to inoculating their children, while 20 percent – mostly among Jewish parents – said that even though they had some misgivings, they still inoculated their children.

The poll also showed that 66 percent of parents would require a certificate showing that children who were enrolled in kindergarten or younger school grades were inoculated before they were admitted to class. 90 percent of Jewish parents wished to see such a certificate, while 61 percent of Arab parents said they would demand one.

Over three-quarters of parents in both groups said that the Health Ministry was not doing enough to increase awareness of the importance of inoculations among parents and children. Most of those who felt this way were parents of children ages 4-6, the poll showed.