Harris made the remarks on Twitter.
Minister for Health Simon Harris has said he “instinctively agrees” with proposals to ban unvaccinated children from schools and crèches.
Harris made the comments in response to a tweet from Dr. Dominic Rowley which read: “Vaccines weren’t invented for a bit of craic. @SimonHarrisTD take a bold step and #banhealthyunvaccinatedkids from crèche/school. It’s a really simple life saving concept. We should be protecting those kids who cannot receive #vaccines.”
The Fine Gael TD wrote back: “Instinctively agree. Think we may have constitutional issues here. Will research further. #VaccinesSaveLives.”
Italy implemented such a law earlier this year amid a surge in measles cases. It is a similar story in Ireland. Last year, measles cases trebled compared to previous years.
Under Italy’s so-called Lorenzin law – named after the former health minister who introduced it – children must receive a range of mandatory immunisations before attending school. They include vaccinations for chickenpox, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella.
Other countries were vaccinations are mandatory include Belgium, France and Poland.
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