Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – "Yesterday I posted a video after getting my flu shot. And do you know what happened? I had to close the comments because of the insults I received. Do you realize where we've come to?" Infectious disease specialist Matteo Bassetti shared his thoughts on social media, issuing a stark warning. "I'm addressing politicians in Italy, America, and around the world: you have an enormous responsibility," wrote the head physician at the IRCCS San Martino Polyclinic Hospital in Genoa.
"During and after Covid, you too often turned vaccines into a political battle, fueling divisions for reasons that seemed more related to electoral expediency than public health. And today we see the consequences: distrust of science, misinformation, and aggression toward those who choose to get vaccinated."
“Science,” Bassetti continues, “does not have a party membership card.
And health shouldn't be a propaganda tool. Serious politicians should rebuild trust, listen to experts, and recommend vaccinations when indicated, transparently explaining their benefits and risks. Of course, the choices made during Covid can and must be debated. But turning vaccines into a political banner was a mistake we risk paying for long afterward.
"We've fueled this opposition in Italy too," the doctor observes. "Politicians," Bassetti appeals, "have the courage to put science back at the center. Citizens' health comes before electoral consensus. I will continue to speak out, even in the face of insults. Because health is neither right-wing nor left-wing. It belongs to everyone."
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