A study looking at the consequences of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines given to young children found no serious side effects.
- Covid-19 mRNA vaccines do not cause serious side effects in young children, study finds.
- Seizures and inflammation of the heart and brain were among the 23 complications the researchers looked for.
- On June 5, the French authorities updated their recommendations concerning anti-covid vaccination for children.
Researchers are reassured: Analyzes of the effects of Covid mRNA vaccines in young children revealed no safety concerns for 23 serious potential side effects, including blood clots, seizures, accidents cerebrovascular diseases and inflammation of the brain and heart (myocarditis).
Covid-19 vaccines in young children: no serious side effects
“We did not observe any myocarditis or pericarditis in this very young age group, which is very reassuring.“, said the lead author of the study published in PediatricsKristin Goddard, MPH, research project leader at the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Center in California (USA).
Myocarditis, inflammation of heart muscle tissue (myocardium) leading to tissue death has emerged as a rare side effect of Covid-19 vaccination, primarily in adolescent or young adult males, the authors recall.
Pericarditis is it an inflammation of the pericardium, the thin protective double-membrane sac that envelops the heart. A lubricating liquid is located between the two membranes. Normally, thanks to it, the membranes slide over each other without friction. However, inflammation of the pericardium causes irritation, swelling (swelling) and pain.
In addition, the study did not find evidence of epileptic seizures after vaccination, a phenomenon sometimes observed after other routine childhood vaccinations in children under two years of age.
Vaccines protect children from Covid
To conduct their study, the researchers administered 135,005 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 6 months to 4 years and 112,006 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 6 months to 5 years.
“Parents can protect their young children against Covid-19 the same way they vaccinate them against other serious childhood diseasessaid lead author Nicola Klein, director of Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Vaccine Studies in California. “Even though the emergency has ended, we know that the coronavirus poses a serious long-term threat to all ages, including children.“, added Dr. Klein.
Vaccinating children against Covid-19 benefits them by reducing the burden of disease, preventing the spread of the virus to family and others, and mitigating the small but real risk of serious illness, the authors conclude. authors.
Anti-Covid vaccination in France: Pfizer is recommended for children
In France, there are particularities for children from 6 months to 11 years old: vaccination requires the agreement of both parents and the presence of a parent or an accompanying person, provided with the parental authorization form. This form should be given to staff at the vaccination site, with a history questionnaire available at the vaccination site, recalls the site Vaccination Info Service in its June 5 update.
The vaccination consists of three doses for children from 6 months to 4 years old and two doses for 5-11 years old. For children from 5 years old, it is recommended to carry out a serological rapid diagnostic orientation test (TROD) before vaccination, in order to see if the child has already had Covid-19. Covid-19, only one dose will then be necessary.
In the event of infection with Covid-19, it will be necessary to wait 3 months before receiving the vaccine. For all children, in primary vaccination, the authorities recommend the Pfizer vaccine according to their guide “Which vaccine for which public?‘
