Go back

Biologists slammed for donating to anti-vaccination group

A donation of €10,000 from Italy’s National Order of Biologists to an organisation with a well-known anti-vaccination stance has caused uproar among academics.

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:IT; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} The money was paid to Corvela, an association of volunteers from the Veneto region, who campaign against nationwide vaccination programmes. The group has been pleading for “freedom from vaccination” and helps people who believe they have been damaged by vaccines to sue the country’s national health service.

When details about the donation emerged last week, many biologists in Italy voiced their opposition to the move. “The community of biologists should distance itself from this decision,” said Gerolamo Lanfranchi, director of the biology department at the Università di Padova.

This article on Research Professional News is only available to Research Professional or Pivot-RP users.

Research Professional users can log in and view the article via this link

Pivot-RP users can log in and view the article via this link.