Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce said that the number of children who have not received the MMR vaccine has reached an alarming rate of 50 percent for those born in 2017 and that this will require banning unvaccinated children from attending school.

– About 20 percent of all children enrolled in the first grade have not received the vaccine. This is a real cause of concern, since the early vaccine, given at the youngest age, is the one which creates the immunity to diseases. We are taking steps to inform all parents whose children have not been vaccinated, said Filipce.

He announced the creation of a joint group between his department and the departments for education and labour, which will soon align rules across the board to make sure parents inoculate their children.