Overview

• Paolo Bellavite defended his inclusion on the national vaccine advisory group by reiterating that COVID-19 vaccines posed risks for young people and urging evidence-based debate within Nitag.
• Francesca Russo, director of prevention for the Veneto region, formally declined the Nitag invitation in protest of members she says hold positions inconsistent with scientific evidence on vaccinations.
• A Change.org petition organised by Patto trasversale per la Scienza has gathered over 14,000 signatures calling on Health Minister Orazio Schillaci to revoke the appointments of Bellavite and Eugenio Serravalle.
• Leading medical bodies—including Fnomceo, the Italian Pediatric and Neonatology Societies—and figures like Roberto Burioni and Matteo Bassetti publicly condemned the nominations as undermining institutional credibility.
• Despite mounting public and professional pressure, no revocation has been announced and both appointees remain members of Nitag.