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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) does not see an obligation to vaccinate as a violation of human rights.
"The measures can be seen as necessary in a democratic society," the court ruled on Thursday after several families brought a lawsuit against the obligation to vaccinate children in the Czech Republic.
The court ruled that Czech health policy is in the “best interests” of children.
"The goal must be that every child is protected against serious diseases, through vaccination or herd immunity," the court continued.
The obligation to vaccinate is therefore not a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to respect for private and family life).
In the Czech Republic, children must be vaccinated against nine diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and measles.
Several parents who had to pay a fine for violating the obligation to vaccinate or whose children were not admitted to kindergarten had sued.
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It is the first judgment of the ECHR on compulsory vaccination for children.
According to experts, it could have an impact on the corona vaccination campaigns that are currently running in many places.
"This ruling strengthens the possibility of compulsory vaccination under the conditions of the current Covid-19 epidemic," said legal expert Nicolas Hervieu of the AFP news agency.
So far, however, there is no compulsory Covid 19 vaccination in any country in the world.