http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=110686§ionid=3510212

 Italian family physicians refuse to prescribe the A/H1N1 vaccine for their
patients, claiming that the risks of the vaccine outweigh its benefits.

 Latest figures revealed that swine flu has infected more than 540,000
individuals, claiming the lives of 30 in Italy.

 The country has ordered some 48 million doses of the A/H1N1 vaccine, enough
to immunize 24 million of its population, and plans to start a mass
vaccination program in the coming weeks.

 Italian media outlets have, however, claimed that many of these vaccines
would be useless as the majority of Italians including the Deputy Health
Minister Ferruccio Fazio and the Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno have decided
against vaccination.

 According to a recent survey conducted, six out of every ten Italian family
physicians do not prescribe the A/H1N1 vaccine for their patients
particularly those with heart diseases.

 A member of the European Association for Quality in General
Medicine(EQUIP), Gianluigi Passerini told L'espresso that he would not
advise vaccination for his patients, adding, "This virus is not aggressive
and there is no reason to force individuals to get immunized against the
virus."

 Mario Nejrotti, the director of torinomedica.com, similarly, stressed that
healthcare workers should only be urged to get vaccinated based on the
severity and spread of the virus.

 He added that a similar vaccine manufactured in the US in 1976 had
contributed to a considerable number of cases with a severe neurological
disease known as Guillain-Barré syndrome.