A German biologist who offered €100,000 to anyone who could prove that measles is a virus has been ordered by a court to pay up. BBC News reports that Stefan Lanka, who believes the illness is psychosomatic, made the pledge four years ago on his website. The reward was later claimed by German doctor David Barden, who gathered evidence from various medical studies.
Lanka dismissed the findings, but the court in the town of Ravensburg ruled that the proof was sufficient. Reacting to the verdict by the court in the southern town, Lanka said he would appeal.
A recent outbreak of measles in Germany has sparked a debate about whether vaccinations against the disease should be compulsory with an 18-month-old boy in Berlin dying last month of the disease. The World Health Organisation said it was "taken aback" by the 22,000 cases reported across Europe since 2014, urging to step up vaccinations.
[link url="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31864218"]Full BBC News report[/link]