Minister Schillaci intervenes on the vaccine commission: the revocation is divisive.

The clash over appointments shakes the ministry, and Schillaci ends up at the center of the vaccine commission case that divides science , politics, and public opinion.

Schillaci and the Vaccine Commission: The Case of the Disputed Appointments

Orazio Schillaci has stated it clearly, without mincing words. He is ready to revoke the appointments of the two doctors opposed to vaccines.

Because science cannot be bent to politics, at least that's what he repeats. He explained it in an interview with Il Foglio : "The challenges we face require rigor, both scientific and methodological." Words that sound like a firm, almost definitive stance.

The issue erupted with the government's decision to appoint two well-known figures, Tuscan pediatrician Eugenio Serravalle and Bolognese hematologist Paolo Bellavita, to the Vaccine Commission , the committee that defines vaccination policies. These appointments were supported by the Brothers of Italy party and forcefully defended by the League, which has traditionally maintained a more skeptical stance on vaccines. But discontent quickly became evident, both within and outside the institutions.

Schillaci, former rector of Tor Vergata University, a technician favored by Giorgia Meloni but also close to Minister Lollobrigida, is living these days with a heavy burden. Pressure is coming from many quarters: scientists, professional associations, and the opposition. And the increasingly strong feeling that the minister doesn't want to be seen as the one who gave way to conspiracy theorists. "A careless move," he calls it. But it's something he can't afford. And one he most likely won't allow.

Science and Politics: Minister Schillaci speaks on the vaccine commission.

The appointments issue hasn't remained confined to ministerial circles. It has shaken the scientific community. Silvio Garattini, a respected voice and founder of the Mario Negri Institute, stated it bluntly: "A decision that insults the Covid deaths. The minister must react." Filippo Anelli, president of the Federation of Medical Associations, echoed this sentiment, raising the level of protest with strong statements. Then there are those who have decided to take action: Francesca Russo, prevention coordinator at the State-Regions Conference, resigned from the vaccine commission in protest.

And it doesn't end there. The signatures are multiplying. Giorgio Parisi, Nobel Prize winner in Physics, has launched a cross-party campaign to convince Minister Schillaci to review the committee's composition. Franco Locatelli, a symbol of the fight against Covid and former president of the Italian National Health Council, has also openly urged the minister to step back on the appointments. Everyone is on the same side: some are calling for rigor, others are calling for accountability.

On the political front, the opposition is pressing. Italia Viva, led by Davide Faraone, attacks: "Stop letting the anti-vax majority dictate your position, the one that put you in that position." A harsh statement. A tension already evident with the government's decision to abstain from voting on the WHO pandemic agreement and reject the international health regulation.