Germany tightens vaccination laws

Germany will soon mandate kindergartens inform authorities if parents fail to provide evidence of a doctor consultation on child vaccinations, the health ministry said on Friday. The law, expected to begin June 1, includes a $2,800 fine for parents who refuse. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said a decline in immunizations across the continent has caused a spike in diseases such as measles, chicken pox, and mumps. From the start of the year until last month, Germany reported 504 cases of measles. Italy this month similarly made vaccination compulsory after a measles epidemic. “Nobody can be indifferent to the fact that people are still dying of measles,” German health minister Hermann Groehe told Bild newspaper. “That’s why we are tightening up regulations on vaccination.”

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