# ‘Like priests who don’t believe in God’: Italy’s anti-vax medics eye return to frontline duty

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/like-priests-who-dont-believe-in-god-italys-anti-vax-medics-eye-return-to-frontline-duty/
- Published: 2026-11-12T10:20:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T10:48:32+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/12/italy-anti-vax-medics-return-vote-meloni
- Topics: Elections, Europe, Politics, World

## Key points

- Italy’s lower house approved a bill allowing some struck-off medics to seek reinstatement.
- The Senate is due to vote on the measure in January.
- Experts warn vaccine hesitancy and falling uptake could harm public health.

## Summary

Italy’s lower house has approved a bill allowing some doctors and other healthcare workers struck off during the pandemic for serious conduct linked to anti-vaccine beliefs to apply for reinstatement. The proposal, backed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and the League, has alarmed health experts who fear it could further weaken public trust in vaccination.

The bill’s passage depended on support from Roberto Vannacci’s National Future party, and it still needs Senate approval, with a vote scheduled for January. A University of Turin study found nearly half of Italian adults were hesitant about vaccination, often because of misinformation and distrust in institutions; health figures also show 472 measles cases in the first five months of this year, while flu-vaccine uptake among people aged 65 and over has fallen below 50%.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.