Parents in Germany who refuse to vaccinate their children against measles would be required to pay up to €2,500 ($2,800) in fines and their children would be thrown out of kindergarten, according to a draft law put forward by Health Minister Jens Spahn.
"I want to eradicate measles," Spahn told the mass circulation Bild am Sonntag paper. "All parents should be secure in the knowledge that their children will not be infected and endangered by measles."
Read more: Why measles is so deadly and vaccination so important
Germany's Robert Koch Institute believes that 93% of children have the necessary immunization. However, this is still short of the recommended 95% rate.
Spahn said the kindergarten ban would help protect children too young to receive any immunization shots.
"Kindergartens have children under 10 months of age, who are too young for vaccinations and are therefore especially threatened," Spahn told the paper.
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The bill has a different solution for parents of schoolchildren. Elementary education is mandatory in Germany, so the law would not be able to keep unvaccinated children out of schools. Instead, their parents would be required to pay the fine.
In addition to newborns, there are also older children whose health prevents them from getting immunized, such as organ recipients or people suffering from leukemia. Their parents would need to provide proof of the medical condition that prevents them from getting the vaccine.
By July 2020, other parents who attempt to sign up their children for kindergartens or schools would need to provide confirmation that their children have been vaccinated.
Vaccinations will also become mandatory for employees of hospitals and private medical practices.
Health Minister Jens Spahn wants to boost the number of people immunized against measles
The draft legislation is currently being discussed in the Cabinet. It is expected to be adopted this year and go into force in March 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations have repeatedly called for action over a recent increase in measles outbreaks across the world. Measles killed 136,000 people last year, and the number of people infected with the disease surged by 50% compared to 2017.
Developed countries have also seen a rise in measles infections, partly due to a debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. Germany, which has seen large outbreaks in several of its states, registered 170 measles cases in the first two months of 2019.
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Jinno69 on May 5th, 2019 at 15:39 UTC »
In my country (Slovakia) It is a law to have your child vaccinated. If you miss a date of vaccination of your children you get 300€ fine AND your children gets vaccinated afterwards. (Vaccination is free of course, as is state healthcare)
peejay412 on May 5th, 2019 at 15:13 UTC »
Everybody here talking about fines vs. jail time.. Much more important, in my opinion, is that unnecessarily unvaccinated children will not be allowed in daycare institutions, which would greatly reduce the spreading of infections. So at least the vulnerable young people would be protected much better from outbreaks
fortifiedblonde on May 5th, 2019 at 13:44 UTC »
Annually, right? For every year their anti vax kids are a risk to others?