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Brandenburg has become the first German parliament to pbad a law banning children who have not been vaccinated against measles from kindergartens.
On Thursday evening, the Potsdam state parliament pbaded by a large majority a law on compulsory vaccination, ordering the state government to legislate.
Parliament said it would consider the advisability of adding other vaccines to the ban and join in efforts to introduce a similar ban at the federal level. , making it mandatory in the 16 states.
"Measles remains one of the most dangerous childhood diseases," the motion reads, noting that vaccination is an important preventative measure.
In addition to making measles vaccine mandatory for a kindergarten place, the multi-party motion calls for better access to immunization facilities and a new measles risk campaign.
"In the public interest, individual concerns about immunization, which can not be scientifically proven, must take second place," said Sylvia Lehmann of the Local Social Democratic Party (SPD) .
The highest number of measles cases reported in Germany in recent years was 6,039 in 2001. Last year, they were only 543, but the authorities estimate that 2019 will likely be a record year in three German states, including Berlin, surrounded by Brandenburg.
National debate
As discussions on the national immunization obligation continue, many schools and kindergartens have acted on their side by asking unvaccinated students and staff to stay in school. # 39; gap. On Wednesday, the Austrian city of Klagenfurt canceled its bus service to disinfect 60 vehicles after a driver caught measles.
The Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases recommends vaccinating children against measles during the first two years: once between 11 and 14 months and a second time between 15 and 23 months. In Brandenburg, only 73.5% of children reach the recommended vaccination level.
As in other countries, a minority of German parents are afraid to vaccinate their children, fearing side effects. A medical article from 1998, which has since been considered unfounded, suggested a link between measles vaccine and autism.
Since then, many studies have found no such link, the most recent being a long-term Danish study published last month.
The World Health Organization said more Europeans had contracted measles last year – 82,600 – than at any other time in the last decade.
In Brandenburg, only the Green Party abstained from voting on the vaccine, while the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) voted against, stressing that a vaccine obligation existed for the last time in East Germany.
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