Benjamin B. Sworh
The NEWS (Monrovia)
7 March 2008
Nimba County Representative Edwin Gaye has submitted an Act which makes vaccination compulsory for all children under one year old in Liberia.
Rep. Gaye said the bill is in support of the Millennium Development Goals that calls for compulsory immunization of children under one year in order to reduce child mortality.
The proposed Act which was read for the first time in plenary Thursday indicated that presentation of vaccination certificate before admission into any primary school in the country shall be lawful and violators shall not be allowed to enroll in schools.
Gaye emphasized that poverty reduction cannot be achieved in the presence of high infant mortality rate in Liberia.
"Keeping all children well is one of the Millennium Development Goals," he stressed.
Following the introduction of the Act, a motion was made to send it to the Committee on Health and Social Welfare for review.
The Committee has been given two weeks to return the Act with the necessary recommendations.
At the same time, Margibi County Representative Ballah Zayzay was inducted Thursday by Deputy Speaker Tokpah K. Mulbah.
Representative Zayzay replaces the late Flasher Chiediyou. Zayzay won the run-off by-elections for Unity Party.