Italy Banned Unvaccinated Children From Kindergarten And School

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

Italy banned unvaccinated children from kindergarten and school

In Italy, preschoolers who have not received the required vaccinations will not be able to attend kindergarten. Parents of unvaccinated schoolchildren face a large financial fine.

Photo: torange.biz /

In Italy, preschoolers who have not received the required vaccinations will not be able to attend kindergarten. Parents of unvaccinated schoolchildren face heavy fines, BBC reports.

A variety of fears and conspiracy theories surrounding the issue of vaccination of children have peaked around the world. In the first world countries, this led to a number of global outbreaks of disease that are prevented by vaccines. Specifically, 165 measles cases were reported in the EU in January this year, and 78 cases of vaccine-preventable infections in 2018.

The situation has worsened so much that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared anti-vaccination one of the top ten global health threats in 2019.

The target for vaccination coverage, according to WHO recommendations, is 95%. This is the threshold from which herd immunity begins to work and the spread of the disease becomes unlikely, protecting those who cannot be vaccinated (babies who are too early to vaccinate, or children with weakened immune systems).

After the infamous publication by Andrew Wakefield about the association of measles vaccine with autism, opposition to vaccination has increased among parents. And while his research has long been discredited, the credibility of vaccines has been eroded. For example, in Italy, the target for vaccination coverage was about 80%.

Italian health officials are determined to stop a wave of anti-vaccination campaigns. They passed the "Law of Lorenzin", developed by the previous government and named after former Minister of Health, Beatrice Lorenzin.

This law, which came into force on 12 March 2019 across the country, aims to reduce the number of measles outbreaks that are caused by inadequate vaccination of children. And according to Italian officials, the vaccination rate has improved since its introduction.

According to the “Law of Lorencin”, all children under the age of 6 can be suspended from preschool if they have not been properly vaccinated against common infections such as measles, chickenpox, mumps, polio and rubella.

Unvaccinated children between the ages of 6 and 16 cannot be prevented from attending school, but their parents face a fine of up to 500 euros. Health Minister Giulia Grillo said: "Everyone had time to catch up."

On Monday, the last day for parents to provide documents proving that their children have been properly vaccinated, the Italian health authority released data on a national immunization rate equal to or close to 95% for children born in 2015.

The compulsory vaccination law was opposed by a populist coalition formed from the Five Star Movement and the League that came to power, but ultimately the law was passed. Therefore, as Julia Grillo said, now the rules are simple: "No vaccine, no school."