ROME, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The Italian cabinet on Friday approved a decree to make vaccines compulsory for all for all school starters.
The vaccinations will be required in order for children to be eligible for nursery school, affecting newborns to children who are three years of age, and for those attending kindergarten (three to six years old).
"The decree makes compulsory a number of vaccines previously simply recommended, and some of them are crucial, such as those against measles and meningitis," Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni told a press conference after the cabinet meeting.
"The lack of appropriate measures and the spread of unscientific behaviors and theories over the years, and especially in the last months, has caused a reduction in the protection level," he added.
The decree brought mandatory vaccinations from four to 12 overall and now comprise vaccines against mumps, measles, rubella, meningitis B and C, varicella, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, haemophilia B, hepatitis B, and pertussis.
The provision came amid strong controversy in the country over the safety and utility of vaccines, and a consequent, considerable decrease in vaccinations.
Earlier this week, Italy's National Health Institute reported 2,395 cases of measles between Jan. 1 and May 14, against 390 cases registered in the first four months of 2016.
The new infections were quite homogeneously distributed across Italian regions, and 89 percent of the cases involved non-vaccinated people, the institute said.
Health authorities have repeatedly warned against the risks of a rise in infectious diseases due to the drop in vaccinations.
Italy turned from compulsory to voluntary infant vaccinations in schools in 1999. Over the years, such a move "has led to a coverage that is now significantly below 95 percent for the (four) vaccines compulsory so far," Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin told reporters.
"As for those that were not compulsory so far -- which we consider extremely important for the public health, nonetheless -- the current coverage is not even near 90 percent," she warned.
When the controversy reached the political level, the center-left cabinet criticized opposition Five Star Movement (M5S) for allegedly fuelling fears among families, and spreading unscientific news on social media, about the risks of vaccinations.
Anti-vaccination groups accused the government and pro-vaccine figures of pushing vaccinations for reasons not based on safety, but to boost pharmaceutical firms' profits and other economic interests.
