Italy's parliament has given final approval to a new program making a slate of childhood vaccinations mandatory for school children up to age 16.
The packet, approved on Friday, was hotly contested in Italy, where the number of children being vaccinated has dropped in recent decades, a tendency officials attribute to misinformation.
Under the requirements, parents must present proof of vaccinations to gain admission into pre-schools, while parents of children of mandatory school age face fines of up to up to 1,000 euros ($A1,455) for noncompliance.
The requirements cover 10 vaccinations, including diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox.
The move is part of a government response to a measles outbreak that has claimed three lives since the start of the year.
Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin championed the reform after finding that vaccination rates had fallen under the key 'herd immunity' threshold of 95 per cent, seen as the minimum level required to stop the spread of contagious diseases.
According to official health data, measles vaccination rates in Italy have dropped to around 87 per cent, and 3,672 people have caught the potentially deadly virus in the January 1-July 16 period, compared to 522 in January-July 2016.
Lorenzin's measure has been vehemently opposed by anti-vax groups, who want "freedom of choice" on vaccinations on the grounds that - according to claims disputed by the scientific community - they may have severe counter-effects.
Thousands of Italian vaccine-sceptics have taken part in streets protests up and down the country, and their positions have partly been taken up by Italy's main opposition party, the populist Five Star Movement. (M5S).
Share
