✓ Open letter on vaccines and autism

The site Lescienze.com, the portal of Repubblica.com, published on March 28 a letter addressed to the Minister of Health Lorenzin and to the federation of doctors' orders.

The theme, autism and children's vaccinations, touches the parents in the foreground and has returned to talk after the prosecutor of Trani has opened in recent weeks a file against unknown persons for very serious injuries, to ascertain whether there is a link between the administration of the non-mandatory trivalent vaccine Mpr (against measles , rubella and mumps), autism and diabetes.

As explained in the letter: "We therefore ask you, as representatives of the institutions, to take the appropriate measures to inform the population correctly, to avoid the spread of unjustified and spurious fears when not clearly false and to so that the people who cause an alarm in the population have to answer their affirmations in the appropriate places At the same time, proper support for vaccination is appropriate, a sign of progress, civility and protection of public health, a task that the WHO itself has delegated to the competent national ministries and therefore also to that of our country. "

In less than a week, the appeal received 2022 signatures and the number continues to increase. Among the first signatories are professors, doctors, neurobiologists and pediatricians. But also associations like the N.G.S.A. National Association of Autistic Parents - Veneto, Autism Treviso Onlus and the CICAP - Del Paeseno Committee for the control of claims on pseudoscience.

The letter on the Lescienze.com website

To the Minister of Health

Hon. Beatrice LORENZIN

To the President of the XII Commission

(Hygiene and health) of the Senate of the Republic

Hon. Emilia Grazia DE BIASI

To the President of the XII Commission

(Social Affairs) of the Chamber of Deputies

On. Pierpaolo VARGIU

To the President of the National Federation

of the orders of surgeons and dentists

Dr. Amedeo BIANCO

The recent news of the investigation by the prosecutor of Trani on the alleged link between trivalent vaccination and autism has reopened a discussion that seemed buried. The hypothesis that the trivalent MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) could cause autism dates back to 1998 when a British doctor published a study that appeared to show the existence of anti-measles antibodies in the intestines of autistic children. The alarm raised by the study caused a sharp drop in vaccinations in the UK resulting in a return of measles with thousands of infections, many complications and even deaths. The investigations that followed found that the study's author had made a deliberate scientific forgery, manipulating the data and falsifying the conclusions; he later confessed to having acted on payment of a lawyer who dealt with compensation claims. The study was then withdrawn and the doctor disbarred from the professional order.

Subsequent and repeated investigations have shown that there is no relationship between trivalent vaccination and autism. Indeed, the correlation is largely denied by studies on important population samples.

We know that some vaccination-preventable diseases (measles, polio, rubella and others), and which often do not have an effective cure, can cause very serious damage to those affected and even death (in measles in one case in 2000 on average ) while the side effects of vaccines (always possible when it comes to a drug) are very rare and in the vast majority of cases mild and transient.

Yet repeatedly, out of bad faith or ignorance, the false alarm of vaccinations that cause autism is raised. On several occasions, associations without any scientific weight, doctors who have never produced a scientific publication on the subject and lawyers specialized in compensation cases re-propose the topic by relaunching their claims in the media, and causing an understandable alarm in those who undergo vaccination trusting of public and health institutions.

These unwarranted alarms undermine confidence in vaccinations, which have saved us and our children. In this sense, the stance taken by an association (Codacons) which is supposed to protect the consumer is also surprising.

The danger is real, just think of the recent epidemics in various parts of the world, such as in Wales (with thousands of infected and one death from measles) and the Netherlands (again one death), due precisely to the refusal of vaccination. In Europe, measles cases are unacceptably high, 30 European Union countries have registered 10.271 cases and 3 deaths.

Why, against the unanimous opinion of scientific societies, the Higher Institute of Health, the Del Paesena Medicines Agency and the WHO, give credit to completely unreliable sources and with a specific interest in spreading false information?

We therefore ask you, as representatives of the institutions, to take the appropriate measures to inform the population correctly, to avoid the spread of unjustified and spurious fears when not blatantly false and to ensure that the people who cause an alarm in the population have to answer their statements in the appropriate places. At the same time, without prejudice to the need to adequately inform citizens about the risks and benefits of vaccination, thus fostering a conscious and responsible acceptance of vaccination, proper support for vaccination programs, which represent a sign of progress, civilization and protection of public health, a task that the WHO itself has delegated to the competent national ministries and therefore also to that of our country.

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FIRST SIGNATORS

Vincenzo BALDO, professor of hygiene at the department of molecular medicine of the University of Padua; Paul BONANNI, Professor of Hygiene at the University of the city, coordinator of the Core Board of the Vaccines Group of the Del Paesena di Sanitation Society (SItI); Luca BONFANTI, neurobiologist and professor at the University of Turin; Alexander CAPOLONGO, family pediatrician, referent for the Marche region of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Network of the Federation of Paesena pediatricians (FIMP); Paul CASTILE, full professor of hygiene at the University of Sassari, Councilor of the Order of Doctors of the provinces of Sassari Olbia-Tempio; ElenaCATTANEO, full professor at the University of our city and senator for life; Marco CATTANEO, director of "Le Scienze"; GeorgeCONFORTI, family pediatrician and contact person for the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Network of the Federation of Paesena pediatricians (FIMP); GilbertoCORBELLINI, professor of history of medicine at the "Sapienza" University of the city; Michele DE LUCA, director of the "Stefano Ferrari" Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia; Maurizio MARTIN, professor of pediatrics at the University of the city, director of the department of pediatrics internist of the pediatric hospital "Anna Meyer"; Except OF GRACE, specialist in physiopathology of human reproduction, scientific popularizer; SergioOF THE ROOM, professor of human cognitive neuroscience, University of Edinburgh; Joseph FERRERA, Head of the ASP Epidemiology Service of Ragusa; IRON, in charge of the project "Vaccinarsi. org"; Silvio GARATTINI, director of the IRCCS-Institute for Pharmacological Research "Mario Negri"; Franco YOUNG PEOPLE, prevention department of the ASL CN2 Alba-Bra; Jacopo MELDOLESI, professor at the neuroscience department of the San Raffaele University of Life and Health in our city; Luca MRS, general manager of the Medicines Agency Del Paesena (AIFA); Joseph REMUZZI, director of the medical department of the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital of the city and research coordinator at the Mario Negri Institute of the city; John REZZA Director of the Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases Department of the Higher Institute of Health; Walter RICCIARDI, director of the public health department of the Gemelli Polyclinic of the city; Luigi SUDANO, medical director of Ausl Valle d'Aosta, former member of the National Vaccines Commission; Gianluca LAZY, full professor of pathological anatomy and rector of the University of our city; Paul VINEYARDS, Full Professor of Epidemiology, Imperial College of Technology, Science and Medicine, London; Carla M. ZOTTI, professor of public health at the School of Medicine of the University of Turin

The following associations have also joined among the first signatories:

A.N.G.S.A. - National Association of Autistic Parents - Veneto;Autism Treviso Onlus; CICAP - Del Paeseno Committee for the control of claims on pseudosciences; ITIS - Del Paesena Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health