Montenegro health officials urge vaccination as MMR rates rise

The Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IJZCG) has issued a call to parents to verify their children's vaccination status ahead of the new school and preschool year. Health officials reported a positive trend in MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination rates, noting that coverage for the first dose among children born in 2024 rose from 13.2 percent to approximately 24 percent. Among the preschool cohort (born 2020–2024), coverage increased from roughly 50 percent to 56.4 percent.

Health authorities emphasized the urgency of maintaining this momentum due to a concerning epidemiological situation in the region, where measles cases have been recorded in Bulgaria, Kosovo, and Serbia. Given Montenegro's status as a major tourist destination with high international mobility, the risk of importing the virus remains significant.

Concurrently, the Constitutional Court of Montenegro has addressed public misinformation regarding a legal matter concerning mandatory vaccination as a condition for preschool attendance. The Court strongly rejected claims that its decisions on this subject were predetermined or influenced by political interests, urging citizens to disregard social media manipulations and maintain trust in the judiciary's independence.