Deviation from the SRS? “It was a very strong pressure from a political point of view.”

O The fact that the Directorate General of Health (DGS) on Tuesday recommended vaccinations for all adolescents over 12 years of age – overturning a decision taken at the end of July – led to an analysis by Adalberto Campos Fernandez in TVI24… The former Minister of Health admitted that the change was not easy to understand: “Neither me, nor probably the vast majority of Portuguese. We must be careful with the inconsistency of the narratives.“.

“It was actually not the right time, because in eight days we hadn’t changed scientific knowledge so much to justify this change in thinking.”– said the professor at the National School of Public Health, adding that “as people say, spelled correctly, with curved lines.”

However, according to the expert, it was preferable that the SRS “be more protected, safer, stronger and less susceptible to what eventually happened”, that “it was a very strong pressure from a political point of view, which I understand because politics has its own agenda, which is different from the agenda of the technical and scientific, as well as the pressure of the media, in a question that is actually very delicate, separating experts, scientists, researchers, pediatricians. “

From the point of view of Adalberto Campos Fernandez, “it is impossible to believe that this measure of progress in the field of vaccination of children its sole purpose is to make sure schools are not performing badly or badly.“This is a mistake from the point of view of communication,” he stressed.

“We tell parents and families that vaccines are safe for children and adolescents. and that our first task is to protect the health of these very children and adolescents, ”he stressed at TVI24.

According to Adalberto Campos Fernandez, General Directorate of Health “he must have power, he must be independent, he must have trust, and he cannot depend on the messages that come to him every day in newspapers or on televisionbe it political leaders, sovereign bodies or any other corporate structure in society. ” Because “it weakens the security of the country.”

As a reminder, yesterday the SRS recommended universal vaccination of children and youth from 12 to 15 years oldthus, they are no longer limited to specific situations, such as when they have dangerous illnesses. Only 400 thousand young people will be eligible for vaccinations.

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