(Adnkronos) - “Vaccinare i bambini per un futuro sano e protetto”. Così Gianmaria Vallefuoco, segretario regionale FIMP Campania e pediatra di libera scelta Asl Napoli Nord, a margine del convegno Mission vaccinale svoltosi a Napoli, che ha puntato l’attenzione sullo stato attuale delle vaccinazioni in regione, evidenziando l’importanza della copertura vaccinale per la salute dei bambini e il ruolo del pediatra per combattere la disinformazione e promuovere la fiducia nei vaccini
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00:00What is the difference between compulsory and recommended vaccinations?
00:04For us, pediatricians, there is no difference between compulsory and recommended vaccinations.
00:09On compulsory vaccines, it is obvious that there is a tighter control,
00:13because they are the ones that give the child the possibility to access society,
00:17so the school and all the rest.
00:19While, on the other hand, the recommended ones are the ones that, in my opinion, have the greatest impact,
00:23because they are serious diseases, not so devastating, but above all they are very complicated,
00:30because they are serious diseases and we must distinguish between not calling them anymore,
00:34as it once was, vaccinations are recommended,
00:38and not so-called compulsory and optional vaccines, it is no longer an option,
00:43it is simply a protection that we want to be given to the child,
00:46and therefore we must respect the recommendations for these vaccinations, which are very important.
00:52The pediatrician, in my opinion, has a fundamental role,
00:54first of all because he is a person who is chosen by the family,
00:57so there is a very important trust relationship,
01:00which is based on the compliance on the life of this child.
01:04We teach parents about the health of their child,
01:08both as regards the prevention of diseases, but also and above all for the vaccination practices,
01:13which are an important step to prevent serious diseases.
01:18The role becomes a role, first of all, towards the child that is entrusted to us,
01:22towards the family that must be educated in respect of the health of both the child and the family,
01:28and then it has a role, in my opinion, social,
01:30because if we teach our parents to have a positive vision of everything that concerns prevention,
01:37regardless of vaccinations, there is health education through sport,
01:41through nutrition, which is fundamental,
01:43we have played a role that goes beyond the discipline on the child,
01:47so we are interested, above all, to make the family evolve as a point of reference
01:52for the respect of health and the integrity of this adult future that will come.
01:56Meningitis is a series of diseases,
02:01some of which, luckily for us, for some of them, vaccines exist,
02:06and therefore losing this possibility of not vaccinating your own children,
02:10putting them at risk of a disease that still exists,
02:13and when it is present, it is not a simple disease,
02:17it is a disease that often leads to fatal success,
02:20we must increase the adhesion to the vaccine field.
02:25Meningococcal disease is one of these,
02:27and unfortunately there is not much sensitivity,
02:30so we have to make the parent understand that since it is a disease that is seen little,
02:34but when there is, it is very serious,
02:36but every year in Italy people die from this disease,
02:39so having a vaccine available and not using it,
02:42I think it is a loss of opportunity,
02:46and they must understand that they must adhere to the vaccination campaigns of these serious diseases.
02:51For meningitis, I must tell the truth,
02:53that now there is greater interest,
02:56because there is greater communication, greater formation and information of the families,
03:00and we still have to work a lot for this.
03:03We have entered a particular period,
03:06that of Christmas festivities,
03:08and relatives will meet.
03:11How should we behave in the so-called family reunions?
03:18This is generally true for all diseases that are community transmitted,
03:24so definitely meningitis is one of these,
03:27because not by chance, the peaks of incidence are in small children,
03:30and then they increase in adolescents,
03:32because these boys then go to crowded places,
03:35once they were casern diseases, for example,
03:38so certainly all those hygienic rules,
03:41which are used for diseases, especially respiratory,
03:44for example, now we are in an incisive virus period,
03:47we say to our parents of newborns,
03:50that certainly the newborn is not a toy to pass from one relative to another,
03:55we must maintain the distance for these children,
03:59not kiss them, not have too close contacts,
04:03and defend them from other people,
04:05who may be a little cold,
04:07for an adult a cold can be something irrelevant,
04:10but if it is a virus,
04:12which then conquers the pulmonary field of such a small child,
04:16it can create difficulties,
04:19especially respiratory difficulties,
04:22which are sometimes also serious.
04:24And for parents who are still a little distrustful of vaccination,
04:28what message do we want to give?
04:30You have to have faith in science,
04:33you have to have faith in your pediatrician,
04:36because when there are recommendations,
04:39there are years and decades of studies behind these recommendations,
04:42so they have to trust these properties,
04:45and then they are seen on the field,
04:47we have seen it with papilloma,
04:49which is giving excellent results,
04:51for example, on the incidence of uterine tumour,
04:54so we must have faith in science,
04:56and we represent it in the most terminal part,
04:59because we are the operators on the territory,
05:01but we trust our scientists,
05:03of what they can do,
05:05we hope more and more to be able to protect our children,
05:07but also our adults.