Investigation into Measles Vaccination Fraud: nearly all of it committed by doctors practising so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)

I have often voiced my concerns that some SCAM practitioners are against vaccinations, particularly homeopath, naturopaths and integrative medicine doctors. It seems, that many go even further and commit lucrative anti-vax fraud. Now, a shocking story seems to confirm that my concerns were justified.

A joint investigation by NDR, WDR, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) has uncovered a network of suspected fraud involving measles vaccinations in Bavaria. Health authorities currently suspect at least 27 medical practices of issuing false medical exemptions or recording vaccinations in certificates that never actually took place.

Since the Measles Protection Act came into effect in Germany in 2020, parents must prove their children are vaccinated against measles to attend daycare or school. The only exception is for children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, which must be documented by a doctor. This legal requirement has inadvertently created a market for “courtesy” certificates and forged documents.

A prominent figure in the report is the German physician Andreas Sönnichsen, who practices in Salzburg, Austria. Sönnichsen charges €240 for a one-hour consultation and openly admits to issuing general certificates of vaccine inability to any parent who requests one. His justification is that, because measles infection rates in Germany were low in 2025 (three cases per million inhabitants), he believes the risk of vaccine side effects outweighs the risk of the disease. However, health experts point out that unvaccinated children pose a severe risk to infants under nine months who are too young for the shot.

Due to a sharp rise in suspicious certificates, approximately 40 health offices in Bavaria and neighboring regions have formed the “Measles Protection Network.” They share information and maintain a list of 27 suspect practices, nearly all of which belong to homeopaths, natural health practitioners, or “integrative” doctors. 

A significant criminal case involves a physician from the Landshut district, Volkhard P. He is accused of documenting 1,290 measles vaccinations without actually administering them. Investigators noted several “red flags”:

• He is not a pediatrician but certified many childhood vaccinations.
• Patients traveled over 100 kilometers to see him.
• Vaccination booklets were empty except for the two required measles entries.

Blood tests on children supposedly vaccinated by such doctors have repeatedly shown a total lack of antibodies, confirming that no immunization occurred.

Despite the efforts of local health offices, the report highlights major gaps in enforcement. In Bavaria, health offices are instructed to merely “take note” of vaccination records during school entry exams rather than conduct a standardized verification of authenticity. The Bavarian Ministry of Health maintains that the primary responsibility for checking records lies with school principals and daycare directors. However, these administrators are often overwhelmed and lack the training to identify fraudulent certificates.

While the Federal Ministry of Health notes that the Measles Protection Act has slightly increased vaccination rates, it currently has no plans to tighten the law, leaving the responsibility of oversight to individual states. Consequently, a significant portion of this fraud likely remains undetected, posing a continuing risk to public health.