Campaign "Con il diabete vacciniamoci" (2026)
Date of the event:
The campaign "Con il diabete vacciniamoci" ("Let's get vaccinated, diabetes and all"), promoted by the Associazione Medici Diabetologi (AMD, Association of Diabetes Specialists) on the occasion of World Diabetes Day on 14 November, comes to Piedmont for the first time in 2026, with a series of information and free screening events in Chivasso, Turin and Pinerolo. Now in its third edition, the initiative is developed with the contribution of Diabete Italia and the support of GlaxoSmithKline S.p.A. and Seqirus Srl; after previous editions in Lombardy, in 2026 it also extends to Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna [1].
Aims of the campaign
About 300,000 people with diabetes live in Piedmont, equal to 7% of the population. For these patients an infection carries higher risks, because it can raise blood glucose levels, complicate management of the disease and increase the likelihood of hospitalisation. The campaign aims to highlight the importance of the free recommended vaccinations, not only against flu and Covid, but also against lesser-known infections such as shingles (herpes zoster), pneumococcal pneumonia, bacterial meningitis and hepatitis B [1].
The Piedmont stops
The schedule begins on Sunday 15 November in Chivasso, in piazza della Repubblica, from 9am to midday, with a morning dedicated to type 2 diabetes prevention and vaccine awareness. On Wednesday 18 November the initiative moves to Turin, at the Sermig in piazza Borgo Dora 61, where from 3pm diabetes specialists from the ASL Città di Torino (local health authority) combine health information with activities aimed at inclusion and young people. On Saturday 21 November the stop is in Pinerolo, at the Le due Valli shopping centre, where staff from the AslTo3 diabetes unit hand out information material and carry out free blood glucose and blood pressure measurements, as well as risk assessment tests. On Tuesday 24 November the initiative returns to Turin with a day of counselling on recommended vaccinations at the diabetes clinics of the ASL Città di Torino [1].
Materials and statements
During the events, doctors hand out an interactive leaflet with two QR codes: one leads to information sheets on individual vaccinations on the AMD website, the other to an online questionnaire to gauge knowledge, doubts and obstacles related to prevention. Riccardo Fornengo, AMD Piedmont president and head of the Diabetology unit at ASL TO4, notes that people with diabetes have a risk of hospital admission following an infection four times higher, and a risk of death twice as high, compared with the general population, and that infectious diseases can also cause a temporary rise in blood glucose, worsening management of the condition [1].
Sources
- Giornata Mondiale del Diabete, a Chivasso la campagna «Con il diabete vacciniamoci» — Prima Chivasso, 12 November 2026