The UK’s vaccine advisory group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), advised that children aged 12 and over with severe neurological disabilities, who tend to get recurrent respiratory infections and have complex care needs, should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine.

To find the unknown side effects of vaccination in this complex and vulnerable group, researchers asked the parents of 27 of these children to record any side effects of subsequent COVID-19 vaccinations for each child.

The children were aged between 12 and 15; three were hospital inpatients; 16 were boys and most (21) were white.

They had various neurological conditions, including muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, plus a range of coexisting medical conditions, such as epilepsy, congenital heart defects, and immune deficiency, for which they were receiving drug treatment of various kinds.

The reported side effects were all mild to moderate, with the exception of one child who experienced severe fatigue and discomfort, combined with increased agitation.One family also reported that seizure type changed to clusters, although this had resolved a week later.

In all these there were 8 ‘events’ such as mild rash; headache; diarrhea; sore throat; neck pain; difficulty sleeping; and low blood glucose in 6 children after the first dose. All of which resolved within 72 hours.

After the second dose, 8 additional events occurred in 5 children: diarrhoea; vomiting; armpit swelling, and blisters around the mouth.

Paracetamol use after the first dose was high and fever was more common than reported in studies of adults. But all recorded side effects cleared up within a week.

Although the study numbers are small, the data are representative of those teens most likely to benefit from the vaccination, and should offer reassurance to parents and clinicians.

Source: Medindia