Germany set to make measles vaccination compulsory

Mandatory measles vaccination (usually administered as part of the so-called MMR vaccine) will come into effect in Germany from Monday, August 1, for children and certain categories of employees.

This marks the end of the transitional phase, during which it was only compulsory for children whose families applied for admission to childcare after the German parliament approved the measure in 2019.

From now on, families of school-age children who have not already done so will have to provide proof of vaccination or a certificate that they have overcome measles, according to El Periodico.

Employees of educational establishments, doctors’ offices, hospitals and refugee centres, among others, will also have to prove their immunity.

The law provides that children who are not vaccinated can be excluded from going to kindergarten, although in the case of primary education this is not possible due to compulsory schooling, although fines of up to €2,500 are planned for those who contravene the measure.

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Cold-like symptoms:

The first symptoms of measles include:

• a high temperature
• a runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• a cough
• red, sore, watery eyes

Spots in the mouth:

Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.

The measles rash:

A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms.

The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They’re not usually itchy.