Public healthGerman law would require measles vaccination to attend schools, kindergartens, daycare

German children will have to prove they have had a measles vaccination before they would be allowed to attend kindergarten or go to school. A new draft law imposes steep fines on parents who refuse to immunize their children.

Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft law which would make it compulsory for all children at kindergartens, schools, and daycare centers to be vaccinated against measles.

The measure will go into effect on 1 March 2020, and it still needs to be passed by the Bundestag.

Under the proposed bill, children at daycare and education institutions, as well as employees there, have until 31 July 2021 to offer proof of vaccination.

The Local reports that children who are not immunized will not be allowed to attend daycare, while parents who refuse to vaccinate their school-aged children could face a fine of up to $2,800 per child.

The draft law also imposes heavy fines on facilities which allow unvaccinated children to attend.

“We want to protect all children from measles infection,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said. “Measles is extremely contagious and can take a very nasty, sometimes deadly, turn.”

He said he also hoped to boost voluntary vaccinations in schools for other infectious diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.

The law also applies to medical staff, and residents and workers at asylum seekers and refugee facilities.

Bild newspapers cite figures from the German Health Ministry which show that law would compel about 600,000 children and adults in Germany who are currently no vaccinated, to get a measles vaccination.

The only exemptions the draft law allows are for people born before 1970; those who cannot tolerate the vaccination on medical grounds; and those who prove they have already had the disease.

Experts have noted that although almost all children in Germany have had the first measles vaccination, not all had received the second jab, which is required for 95 percent immunization coverage — the rate recommended for “herd immunity,” which is necessary to stop the disease from spreading.