Controversy over flu vaccines, Nieddu: "In order, here the epidemic comes later"

It is a clash over the management of the influenza vaccination campaign in Sardinia. The opposition attacks on "delays and bungles". The regional councilor for health, Mario Nieddu, replies: "Everything is in order".

THE OPPOSITION. The regional councilors of the Leu group, Article 1, Demos and Possibile, authors of a question, speak of actions "in no particular order" and of "great delay with respect to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health". "For the vaccination and the related information campaign that was to start at the same time", reads the document signed by Maria Laura Orrù (with the group leader Eugenio Lai and Laura Caddeo and Daniele Cocco), "to date the agreement has not yet been signed with family doctors, precious allies in this process". Furthermore, “ the Local Health Authorities are organizing themselves autonomously, with the activation of decentralized territorial structures: this is what those of Oristano and Nuoro have done, reporting on the institutional website Sardegna Salute. However, the organization of Cagliari and the other provinces has not been received”.

THE COUNCILOR. "No delays. The flu vaccination campaign has already started for weeks throughout the region. The councilorship gave indications to the Local Health Authorities on the basis of what was envisaged for the prevention campaign at a national level and each company declined the modalities according to its own organisation”: thus replied Nieddu. The exponent of the Giunta Solinas also added that “As has always been recorded, in Sardinia the epidemic has different times compared to the spread in the rest of Italy, it arrives later, as does the peak. The timing of the vaccination campaign is absolutely in line with this picture ”.

For Nieddu “many general practitioners have already started vaccinating in their clinics, regardless of the regional agreement which is still being finalized. In fact, it must be remembered that the agreements at national level provide, in any case, for the adhesion of general practitioners to the anti-flu campaign”.

(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)