The German government intends to crack down on parents who insist on not vaccinating their kids, in an effort to prevent outbreaks of illnesses.
According to the BBC, Germany plans to introduce fines of up to 2,500 euros ($2,806) for parents who won’t vaccinate their children. Health Minister Hermann Gröhe called this move a necessity, sparked by a measles epidemic. He said,
Continuing deaths from measles cannot leave anyone indifferent.
In order to implement the plan, the government will ask kindergartens to report on parents who are unable to present a doctor’s certification that their child has been vaccinated.
Failure to vaccinate could mean expulsion of a child from kindergarten, under this new law. Vaccination rates have dropped across the country in recent years, making children and adults alike vulnerable to potentially fatal diseases, The Washington Post reports.
Germany has 410 cases of measles reported this year so far – a number already higher than 2016’s total measles count, the Robert Koch Institute reported. The cases include a 37-year-old woman who died of the disease in Essen this month.
The institute added that besides children, all adults born from 1970 onwards should likewise get vaccinated, if they had not gotten their shots before, or if they only got one dose.
Parliament will vote on the measure Thursday, and the law is expected to be implemented by next month.
Last week, the Italian government decreed that parents must vaccinate their kids against 12 common illnesses before they are enrolled in public schools. Italy has likewise recorded three times more measles cases so far, compared to the entire 2016.
The vaccines include those for polio, hepatitis B, and whooping cough.
Health officials in Italy have condemned what they deem “anti-scientific” theories that have been circulating worldwide. These have led to a significant drop in vaccination rates well below the number considered safe to prevent outbreaks.
