Italy has passed a law that will require parents to vaccinate their children before enrolling them in nursery school, with those refusing to comply subject to fines. The country’s cabinet approved the law on Friday, meaning children up to age six will now need to be immunized to attend school.
“The lack of appropriate measures over the years and the spread of anti-scientific theories, especially in recent months, has brought about a reduction in protection,” Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said at a news conference, according to Reuters.
The required vaccinations include measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningitis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough and hemophilia B, Reuters reported.