JulieVenice

Hi all,
Does anyone know anything about childhood/baby vaccinations in Italy? When they have them, and for what diseases etc??

I live in Venice and have just had my baby in England but am coming back soon and wondered what the vaccination program is like there and at what times babies get the first vaccinations/??

If any mums or dads know anything, please let me know!!!

Thanks

J

LivingHere

Congratulations on the new arrival!

Where we live ASL have a building just for immunisations. You should be able to find it in the phone book. I moved to Italy with a 5 week old baby and my first job was to sort this out. It was and is by far the easiest thing I have done here. No paperwork was required at all. They use the 6 in 1 injection and do them at 3, 5 and 11 months (when my first child was born in the UK they were done at 2,3 and 4 months.) The six are diptheria, hepatitis B, whooping cough, tetanus, flu and polio. Then at about 14 months the MMR.

JulieVenice

Thank you Living Here for that!
So, did you have them done on the national health then when you arrived? As I won't be on the national health when I first get back and just wondered if they can also be sorted out privately??

Thanks again for the advice!

Julie

LivingHere

Yes I had it done via ASL. We hadn't even registered at the comune at the time. I think because childhood immunisations only work if there is herd immunity all babies can be vaccinated no questions asked.

bunnyzoe

Hi

I did exactly the same turned up at USL office with 3 week old baby. Have had all the vaccinations. Didn;t have to pay. Why go privately when you are covered by the good ol EU!!!!

Let me know if you have any other questions.

z

Lorna at Vicenza

Livinghere and Bunnyzoe are right. Regardless of the parental status of the baby ... I mean registration at town hall etc and health insurance etc and residency ..

your child has the legal right to every type of free vaccine that is offered and given free to any Italian child. They will automatically become part of the vaccine programme as soon as you go to your local ASL (ULSS). They will not let any child coming into the country risk bringing anything with them so each and every child is given the right to vaccines.

You may have to pay for any other type of doctor's visits but vaccines are free - guaranteed !

Your local place will probably give you a pre-printed card with the vaccines printed on it and when your child has the vaccine they will date it and signature it. You keep this card and take it with you each time you need to go back. Once you are on the vaccine list then the local authorities should send you a letter with an appointment for the next vaccine or booster.

If your child happens to have a heavy cold or flu at the time of the vaccine they will happily put the vaccine back a week or two to give said said child to get over the cold first. They will also ask you if you have "tacchipirina" at home just in case baby or child gets a slight fever after injection. This is nothing but the baby equivalent to Calpol etc. so if you have that then just say "yes". I spent about 8 euro (back in the Lira days) buying this liquid tacchipirina and then never used it.

I was also advised by 2 different doctors to give my kids an extra menigitis jab as they go back to England sometimes. This jab was not on the free Italian list (though two other types were) and I paid for it. As this particular strain of meningitis has hit Italy a couple of times since then, it might be on the free list here now but I don't think so.

The MMR that caused a massive stink in England never created such a big fuss here either as they give 2 parts of it in one go and then later the last and third bit. It wasn't a three-in-one here. At least where I live it wasn't.

I can check my kids vaccine cards if you need more details.

JulieVenice

Thanks so much for the replies, they're really useful - thanks!
I'll be back in Italy in a couple of weeks and will be looking into the ASL where I live to get the vaccines sorted.

Thanks again everyone for the help

Lorien

Lorna Hi

A few questions if I may:

1. Are the vaccines listen here (6 in 1) mandatory in Italy? if yes, how do they inspect this and what will happen if we decide not to go ahead?
2. Are any vaccines mandatory in Italy?
3. Any idea if its possible to separate the 6 to individual vaccines ?
4. Is it possible to get the vaccines done privately in Italy?

thanks so much for your help

Lorien
Asti

Lorna at Vicenza

Hi Lorien

There is another thread on page 2 of the Italian forum about vaccines in Italy and in that thread there is also a list of the obligatory vaccines in Italy. Most of these are the same as the mandatory ones in the UK.

I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean by seperating 6 to individual.

You probably could get them done privately but why would you want to when they are totally free of charge ?

Anyway - have a look at the other thread about immunisations and if you have anymore questions then just shout.

Lorna at Vicenza

The thread is called :

Another question on childhood immunisations..!!Sorry!

TestaRossa

Because of the controversy over whether all the vaccines we now give kids is a link to autism because of the preservatives used in them many people have been led to believe that it is better to give them all as separate vaccines - I believe the preservatives used are different or not necessary. As most health services cannot afford to give them as separate doses the only way to have them this way is privately.

Bearing in mind that a doc in the UK was selling parents single dose vaccines for £200 a shot - which were later proven to be a con and contained no vaccine at all, playing on vulnerable peoples fears is a lucrative market....

LivingHere

As far as I know no injections are mandatory in Italy. I have always had to provide copies of the vaccination certificates for school but I don't know anyone whose child has been refused anything because they are under immunised. However, I have heard that if there was, for example, a measles outbreak then unimmunised children may be asked to stay at home.

I do know people who have tried to get separate jabs here privately and were unable to buy the vaccine. Though when my last child was born they gave him the hepatitis jab at one day old, so obviously separate vaccines are available.

Lorna at Vicenza

I already posted a list of obligatory jabs for Italy.

LivingHere

Nobody seems to check!

Lorna at Vicenza

Maybe not everywhere but I have been asked to produce my kids' vaccine cards when they have needed a hospital visit and their regular peadiatrician has checked to see if they are up to date.