Far-Right Italian Anti-Vaxxer Politician is Hospitalized with Chickenpox

 

An anti-vaxxer politician got chickenpox.

Massimiliano Fedriga is a far-right lawmaker in Italy who opposes mandatory vaccinations, calling them “Stalinist.” But In March 2019, he got chickenpox and was hospitalized for four days.

Fedriga recently denounced a policy requiring children be vaccinated for diseases like polio, measles, and chickenpox. Italy adopted the policy in 2017 after a measles outbreak infected 5,000 and caused three deaths. Italy’s vaccination rates have been declining every year since 2012.

Fedriga is part of the far-right party the Northern League, which holds power in Italy as part of a coalition with the Five Star Movement. Both parties are trying to weaken vaccination laws.

Infants and adults whose vaccines are spread out or left out are at risk of developing disease during the time they delay their shots. According to the CDC, vaccines are safe and there is no benefit to delaying them.

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