No vaccination obligation, yes instead to the need for accurate information for adults and children with the essential contribution of the school. In the event that “the will of the great minor to get vaccinated was in contrast with that of his parents”, it is believed “that the adolescent must be heard by medical personnel with pediatric skills and that his will must prevail, as it coincides with the best interest of his psycho-physical health and public health ». It is the heart of an opinion provided by the National Bioethics Committee in which it is specified that for adolescents with pathologies and falling within the categories identified by the Ministry of Health (in an updated list), for which vaccination is recommended ” more pressing is the obligation of parents (legal representatives) to guarantee their children the best interests; it is important to have recourse to the clinical ethics committee or to an ethical space and, as a last resort, to the tutelary judge “.
Public health defense measures allowed
According to the document drawn up by the President Lorenzo d’Avack and the Deputy Vice President Laura Palazzani with the participation of all the members of the Committee, not even in the opposite case should be resorted to. «The Committee believes it is important and desirable that the adolescent be informed that vaccination is in the interest of his health, the health of his neighbors and public health. Ultimately, however, it appears correct, from a bioethical point of view, not to proceed with the obligation to vaccinate in the absence of a law, but to put in place measures to safeguard public health ”.
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Focus on awareness actions
In short, the vaccination of the youngest remains for the Committee fundamental to safeguard their health and help to contain the expansion of the virus from a public health perspective, in particular in view of the return to school. The invitation is therefore to focus on communication. «The importance of information addressed to parents is highlighted, which must be calibrated according to the age of the adolescent, with particular attention to the balance of risks and benefits, different from adults and the elderly. The information should also be addressed to adolescents, hopefully through an information sheet before the vaccine, so that they can participate in an informed way. This information must be accompanied by actions to raise awareness and educate parents and teachers, with the activation of specific initiatives in the school ».
The story of the release of the 17-year-old Florentine
In mid-July the news reported the 17-year-old Florentine who had turned to a lawyer to be able to receive the dose despite the contrary opinion of his parents. At first they did not want to sign the release, only to change their mind in the face of the son’s intention to start a confrontation before the mediation body of the court of Florence. Similar situations have been described in other parts of the country.
How the campaign is progressing
According to the dashboard of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, just over 800 thousand under 19s have completed the vaccination, while about 1.5 million have received only one dose. Meanwhile, the under 60s – among these many young people – who have undergone the first dose of vaccine with AstraZeneca can now complete the vaccination cycle with an mRNA vaccine with excellent margins of confidence. According to the WHO, heterologous vaccination with this order increases the effectiveness of immunization.