Health institute head resigns over vaccination jibes

The president of Italy’s leading health research institute has resigned over what he calls the “non-scientific and sometimes anti-scientific positions” of the country’s government.

Walter Ricciardi stepped down from his post at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) on 1 January. He previously clashed with top members of the coalition government, especially deputy prime-minister Matteo Salvini, over public statements Salvini made on the necessity of childhood vaccinations.

“When a vice-premier says that for him, as a father, vaccinations are too many, useless and dangerous, this is not only a non-scientific approach, it is anti-scientific,” Ricciardi told the media after his resignation.