An amendment from Italy's anti-establishment government that removes mandatory vaccination for schoolchildren is sending shock waves through the country's scientific and medical community.
It suspends for a year a law that requires parents to provide proof of 10 routine vaccinations when enrolling their children in nurseries or preschools. The amendment was approved by Italy's upper house of parliament on Friday by 148 to 110 votes and still has to pass the lower house.
The law had originally been introduced by the Democratic Party in July 2017 amid an ongoing outbreak of measles that saw 5,004 cases reported in 2017 -- the second-highest figure in Europe after Romania -- according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Italy accounted for 34% of all measles cases reported by countries in the European Economic Area, the center said.
Italy's Five Star movement and its coalition partner, the far-right League, both voiced their opposition to compulsory vaccinations, claiming they discourage school inclusion.
English Language Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/07/health/italy-anti-vaccine-law-measles-intl/index.html
(Score: -1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08 2018, @07:27PM (4 children)
My boy is awetistic on account of all the vacinations
Ban them now
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08 2018, @07:43PM (3 children)
awetistic? So all of the photos of him make everyone go awwww? Neat side effect.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08 2018, @08:10PM (2 children)
It's more the awww, that's a shame, let's all give them special consideration and money.
Ribbing aside, on a serious note, it's been figured out that TV watching ages 0-3 causes autism.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fallible-mind/201706/there-is-new-link-between-screen-time-and-autism [psychologytoday.com]
https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20061019/tv-implicated-in-autism-rise#1 [webmd.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 08 2018, @09:02PM (1 child)
Rather than cause autism, the lack of social interaction could make autism symptoms more apparent and lead to a diagnosis and worse life. Lock up a kid in a closet and they will end up fucked up too. Require a kid to socialize with others instead of being glued to a screen, and they may never get an autism diagnosis.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Wednesday August 08 2018, @09:08PM
I think you're onto something here... could be either or both, depending on the kid's biological predisposition, environment, specific stuff he (she) watches, etc.