The decline in vaccination
coverage in Italy is now 'dramatic' and immediate approval is
needed from regional governments of the new National Vaccines
Plan, the president of the Higher Health Institute (ISS),
Walter Ricciardi, said Monday, cautioning that Italy is on the
cusp of facing major disease outbreaks.
"Vaccination coverage in our country," said Ricciardi, "is
at a safety threshold and approval must not be postponed of the
new National Plan for Vaccination Prevention proposed by the
Ministry of Health, the National Health Council, the National
Institute of Health and the Italian Medicines Agency."
Data published by the National Institute of Health
indicates a rate of vaccinations below the objectives and
minimum requirements of the previous plan that expired in 2014.
"The vaccination rates are below 95% for polio, tetanus,
dyphtheria and hepatitis B and the percentage drops further for
vaccinations of measles, mumps and german measles, with coverage
as low as 86%, decreasing by more than 4 percentage points," the
ISS said.
Ricciardi's remarks were echoed by the Italian Drug Agency
(AIFA), which said the drop in vaccination coverage risks
compromising so-called 'herd immunity', and it is urgent that
the National Vaccines Plan is approved.
"There is unfortunately little awareness of the risk that
may be severe connected to non vaccination," AIFA President
Pecorelli said, recalling that "vaccines have saved about 2 and
a half million lives a year, 5 per minute and that, even today,
a disease like measles can be deadly".
"There is no time to lose," added Luca Pani, Director
General of the AIFA, "we must join forces against misinformation
on vaccines that risks compromising the great strides forward in
medicine preventing serious illness ".
The President of the Italian Society of GPs (Simg), Claudio
Cricelli, also weighed into the debate, expressing his "deep
concern" over the recent immunisation figures.
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