The President of the Italian Republic has recently signed the Decree Law about the new mandatory vaccinations. In order to dispel some false myths about vaccines and to reinforce their importance, Professor Alberto Mantovani, Scientifical Director of Humanitas and immunologist, spoke to Tg Piemonte.
There are 12 mandatory vaccinations, but Professor Mantovani says that “They are all necessary because infectious diseases are like monsters that are afraid of vaccines and come out of their cave when surveillance diminishes. We have got an example in the last few months. When vaccination coverage for measles dropped down, suddenly the disease rose with more than two thousand cases, and our country has been deemed to be at risk by the US”.
Diseases are There for a Reason and you have to get them: FALSE
Data tell us that the best training for our immune system isn’t the disease, but the vaccine.
In fact, if you get measles your immune system is compromised for up to two years”, Prof. Mantovani explains.
What is the risk of Not-vaccinating Children Against Disappeared Diseases?
“These diseases have not disappeared.
When we vaccine our children we are fastening not only their seat belt but also their compromised immune systems.
For example, the 1.500 children who suffer from cancer in Italy”.
Why are Families so Sceptical?
“I think there are many reasons. The first one is that we forgot what infectious diseases are. Polio has not disappeared and, if we stop vaccinating against it, it will come back. That’s what happened with measles and diphtheria. The second reason is the lies spreading, such as the one about a connection between autism and vaccination (that is utterly false). The third reason is that many people have convinced themselves that getting a disease is good for the immune system. The truth is that the best training is a vaccine. Finally, we are not keen on protecting the weakest members of our society, because we don’t see them.
A few days ago a colleague and friend of mine, Andrea Biondi, watched a child suffering from acute lymphatic leukaemia die because of measles. If we all got vaccines he would have survived. The virus would not have spread and we would have protected him too”, Professor Mantovani concluded.
