Homeopaths blamed for measles

Two homeopathic doctors who oppose the MMR vaccine are being blamed for a measles epidemic in a small German town.

Thirty children have been admitted to hospital in Coburg and it is feared there could be deaths if the infection continues to spiral.

Two of the town's seven doctors, who are fierce advocates of homeopathic medicine and oppose the MMR vaccine, are blamed for putting youngsters' lives in danger by persuading parents not to vaccinate them . The 30 children in hospital have ear, lung and larynx infections brought on by measles.

Helmet Weiss, head of the state Health Office in Coburg, said: "There are some strong-willed homeopathic doctors in the town who argue against vaccination. Their stronghold is the Waldorf School, which actively encourages people not to have their children vaccinated. Now we have an epidemic."

The Bavarian town is well known as a centre for alternative living and attracts parents keen to opt out of conventional schooling and question medical orthodoxy.

The Waldorf School is a holistic centre which advocates the teachings of Dr Rudolf Steiner, who developed alternative methods of bringing up children. There are 600 Steiner schools worldwide, including a number in the UK.

Public health officials in Germany now fear anti-MMR advice could lead to levels of measles so high that Germans will have to carry vaccination certificates when travelling.

In the UK, there were 69 cases of measles in January and February compared with 62 in the whole of last year. The majority of them were in London, where a quarter of parents have refused to give their children MMR.