The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled that obligatory vaccinations can be seen as necessary in democratic societies, in a landmark judgement after a complaint brought by Czech families over compulsory jabs for children. "The... measures could be regarded as being 'necessary in a democratic society'" the court said in its judgement, saying that the Czech health policy was consistent with the "best interests" of children. This is the first time that the ECHR has delivered a judgement about compulsory vaccination against childhood diseases. Experts say it could have implications for any policy of compulsory vaccinations against Covid-19 in the pandemic. sjw/jh/kjl