Are newborn children in Serbia being "vaccinated with two doses immediately after birth" without their parents' knowledge or approval? No, that's not true: In Serbia, vaccinations against certain infectious diseases are mandatory by law. Newborns are vaccinated against tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. Public awareness of mandatory vaccination is widespread, and Serbian law also requires public health institutes to inform health workers and the general population about how special measures for controlling and preventing infectious diseases are implemented.
The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) which was published by @borbaprotivglobalista (which translates from Serbian to English as "fight against globalists") on February 1, 2024. It opened, also translated from Serbian to English by Lead Stories staff:
Your baby is vaccinated with two doses immediately after birth WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE and APPROVAL!!!
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Feb 5 08:51:51 2024 UTC)
According to Serbia's Institute of Public Health, the mandatory immunization calendar (archived here) includes a Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination for newborns against tuberculosis and a vaccination against Hepatitis B.
According to Article 32 of the Law on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases, as translated by Lead Stories staff (archived here):
Mandatory immunization is the immunization of persons of a certain age, as well as other persons specified by law, where the person to be immunized, as well as the parent or guardian, cannot refuse, except in the case of temporary or permanent medical contraindications determined by a medical doctor of the appropriate specialty or expert team for contraindications. Immunization is mandatory for:
1) persons of a certain age, against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, rubella, mumps, Hepatitis B, diseases caused by Hemophilus influenza type B; and diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae;
Immunization against tuberculosis (archived here) involves administering a single dose of the BCG vaccine to children during their first year of life. Children receive the vaccination upon discharge from the maternity hospital, and those born outside a maternity hospital are vaccinated at an appropriate health center or maternity hospital within the first two months after birth. Active immunization against Hepatitis B (archived here) uses the Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns and infants.
Article 49 of the law requires public health institutes to inform both health workers and the general population about why and how special measures for controlling and preventing infectious diseases are implemented.
Mandatory vaccinations in Serbia have a long historical background and are considered public knowledge. The administration of the BCG vaccine (archived here) dates back to 1927, with systematic implementation for newborns at the Obstetrics Clinic in Belgrade starting in 1928. Post-World War II, the application of the BCG vaccine gained significant momentum, particularly following the establishment of the Institute for Tuberculosis of the Republic of Serbia in 1952. This marked a period of intensified and legally regulated BCG vaccine administration. Mandatory vaccination against Hepatitis B (archived here) was officially instituted in 2002.
