Italy returns to mandatory childhood vaccinations

In a change of policy, Italian children have been told not to turn up to school unless they can prove they have been properly vaccinated. The decision follows months of national debate over compulsory vaccination.

Parents risk being fined up to 500 euros ($560) if they send their unvaccinated children to school. Children under six can be turned away. The new law came amid a surge in measles cases - but Italian officials say vaccination rates have improved since it was introduced.

“This quick change in immunization policy followed the expiry of a temporary measure introduced by the Italian coalition government’s Health Ministry, which stipulated that children could attend school as long as their parents stated they had the required vaccinations without providing physical evidence from a doctor,” noted analytics firm GlobalData pharma analyst James Mather,