A grieving father has slammed anti-vaxxers for using his dead daughter’s image in misinformation campaigns after she passed away from heart problems in 2020 before the vaccines were even available.
Genny Billotto, a 29-year-old teacher from the city of Biella in the Italian region of Piedmont, passed away from a congenital heart problem in October 2020.
According to reports, posters with her name and photo appeared in anti-vaccine campaigns in the city of Bologna in October and were spotted in Milan last weekend.
There have also been online campaigns using Genny’s image to allegedly spread vaccine misinformation.
Her father, Giancarlo Billotto, told local media that he was outraged to see his daughter’s image being used for anti-vax campaigns.
Giancarlo said: “She died in October 2020, before the vaccine campaign started. And now, her photo is on the streets to highlight the adverse effects of the vaccine. I am outraged and have decided to report the culprits.
“They have since told me that my daughter’s photo was being used on social media to question the vaccine’s effectiveness. I was blown away. Genny died of a congenital heart problem. She was not vaccinated because the campaign had not started yet.
“When I saw those images I was disgusted.
“Genny had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She was loved by everyone, by students and friends. She was passionate about her work. She lived every day with a smile and she was excited about the new challenges she set herself.
“Losing her was a tragedy, and seeing her on social media used in that way, for their purposes, really hurt me. I was truly speechless. When I saw those images I was disgusted.”
It is unclear who is responsible for the anti-vax campaign and whether the police are investigating Giancarlo’s complaint.
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Story By: Marija Stojkoska, Sub-Editor: William McGee,  Agency: Newsflash
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