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In March 2017, anti-vaccination blogs presented misleading reports concerning a pair of rejected motions that month by the Swedish parliament, also known as the Riksdagen. Frequent purveyors of conspiracy theories and fake news such as YourNewsWire.com reported variations of the following: A spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the Folkhalsomyndigheten, told us via email on 30 March 2018 that only two — not seven — motions proposing a mandatory vaccination program were rejected in 2017. They added that the proposals were not rejected because vaccinations would be harmful, but because all health care in Sweden, including vaccination programs, is voluntary. Conspiracy theory blogs also reported that the Riksdagen banned mandatory vaccinations. What it did not mention is that the country's voluntary vaccination program, which covers ten diseases, already dates back decades. While Sweden's program is voluntary, the vast majority of children are still vaccinated; the Folkhalsomyndigheten spokesperson told us, More than 97 percent of the 2 year olds have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, for example. Overall, however, the country experienced an increase in measles cases in 2017. The European Centers for Disease Control reported that Sweden was one of 18 nations where the number of cases reported during the first half of 2017 exceeded that of the same period a year earlier. YourNewsWire.com and similar blogs sourced their stories from a report from an alternative health group, the National Health Federation. However, this group has come under its share of scrutiny and criticism. For example, the American Cancer Society excoriated the group in a report concerning unproven methods of managing the disease, saying:
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