MPs have given the green light to extending the number of childhood vaccinations from three to 11 from January 1, 2018.

The text, part of the draft bill for the Social Security budget was passed in the Assembly on Friday by 63 votes to three on its first reading and will now go to the Senate for approval.

Under the plans, eight currently recommended vaccines - for polio, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae bacteria, pneumococcus and meningococcus C - would join those for diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis on the mandatory list for children born from that date.

Children attending nursery or school will be required to be up to date with their vaccinations.
In theory, parents who refuse could face up to six months in prison and a fine of €3,750, Le Monde reports, but there will be an unspecified period of grace before any sanctions are imposed.

Instead, MPs want to improve public perception of vaccinations, after it was reported that one in four people still do not trust them. LREM's Blandine Brocard, who was one of a group of MPs who had called for a moratorium on the plan, told the Assembly: "We compel but we do not convince."