Declining vaccination worries Italian infectiologists

Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (SIMIT), has expressed concern about the decline in vaccination coverage in Italy during 2024. In an interview with the media, the infectious disease expert highlighted that the influenza vaccination campaign has not met expectations and that the campaign against the SARS-CoV-2 virus has seen a significant drop in participation. To meet the challenges posed by ongoing epidemic outbreaks on a global scale, as well as the potential emergence of a new pandemic, experts have called for the approval of the new Italian pandemic plan for 2025. However, Andreoni stressed that significant progress has been made in antimicrobial resistance over the past year, largely due to initiatives taken by the Italian Ministry of Health to address this pressing public health issue. The infectious disease expert highlighted the importance of the Italian government’s recognition of the pioneering role of ‘reserve’ antibiotics, defined as novel reserve pharmaceutical compounds used in the therapeutic management of infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria resistant to antimicrobial agents.