Children and adolescents in African countries should also be vaccinated for COVID-19

Sam-Agudu, Nadia A.; Quakyi, Nana Kofi; Masekela, Refiloe; Zumla, Alimuddin; Nachega, Jean B.

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008315

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Furthermore, the variation in time between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination doses may influence the incidence of inflammatory adverse reactions, as a shorter gap in dosage interval may increase the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis compared to a longer one 9 , 10 . This inconsistency may exacerbate the global inequity in vaccine distribution, particularly in vulnerable communities where the pandemic is harming the economic and social development of children and adolescents 11 . Hence, we aimed to consolidate the existing evidence on the incidence and risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following BNT162b2 vaccination against COVID-19 in adolescents to inform national and global policies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and meta-analysis of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents following COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccination

et al. 2023

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Myocarditis and pericarditis are frequent complications of COVID-19, but have also been reported following vaccination against COVID-19 in adolescents. To build vaccine confidence and inform policy, we characterized the incidence of myocarditis/pericarditis in adolescents following BNT162b2 vaccination and explored the association with dose and sex. We searched national and international databases for studies reporting the incidence of myocarditis/pericarditis following BNT162b2 vaccination as the primary endpoint. The intra-study risk of bias was appraised, and random-effects meta-analyses were performed to estimate the pooled incidence by dose stratified by sex. The pooled incidence of myocarditis/pericarditis was 4.5 (95%CI: 3.14–6.11) per 100,000 vaccinations across all doses. Compared to dose 1, the risk was significantly higher after dose 2 (RR: 8.62, 95%CI: 5.71–13.03). However, adolescents experienced a low risk after a booster dose than after dose 2 (RR: 0.06; 95%CI: 0.04–0.09). Males were approximately seven times (RR: 6.66, 95%CI: 4.77–4.29) more likely than females to present myocarditis/pericarditis. In conclusion, we found a low frequency of myocarditis/pericarditis after BNT162b2, which occurred predominantly after the second dose in male adolescents. The prognosis appears to be favorable, with full recovery in both males and females. National programs are recommended to adopt the causality framework to reduce overreporting, which undercuts the value of the COVID-19 vaccine on adolescent life, as well as to extend the inter-dose interval policy, which has been linked to a lower frequency of myocarditis/pericarditis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review and meta-analysis of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents following COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccination

et al. 2023

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“…In addition, a systematic review by Kitano et al of children with COVID-19 in LMICs compared with high-income countries found that the highest risks for intensive care unit admission and death were in children younger than 1 year in LMICs. It is critical that policy makers, pediatric societies, and public health institutions in LMICs include children in their COVID-19 vaccine guidelines and procurement planning and prioritizing for those at highest risk of severe disease and death . Further research is needed to understand the pathogenesis and high mortality among infants with COVID-19 in LMICs to inform life-saving treatment interventions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Need to Study Clinical Outcomes in Children and Adolescents With COVID-19 From Middle- and Low-Income Regions

2022

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portion of infants who met the cutoffs for delay, which Springer considered to be more appropriate, demonstrated a statistically significant difference only with respect to the gross motor subdomain. Importantly, this does not detract from the differences on the continuous fine motor and personal-social scores. Gross motor skills develop at an earlier age than fine motor and personal-social skills; therefore, greater variability is expected in this domain at this age. Finally, decrements in gross motor skills are one of the earliest indicators of risk for autism spectrum disorder. Given the lack of autism spectrum disorder screening and diagnostic tools at this early age, decrements in gross motor skills may be particularly meaningful.We encourage readers to interpret our preliminary report 1 as one would a screener-there is an early indication of potential developmental differences in infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic that should be carefully monitored. Given the small sample size, it is critical not only to replicate our findings, but also to expand on them using objective assessments of neurodevelopment, which we are actively pursuing as part of the longitudinal COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative. While acknowledging the limitations of our analysis, we have a responsibility to disseminate the preliminary results of our study in an effort to shed light on how the COVID-19 pandemic may be impacting infants born during this unprecedented time.

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“…data from Brazil and Africa showed, respectively, an overall mortality rate of 7.7% (1661/21591) and 8.3% (39/469) in pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 13 , 14 , 21 , 22 . These findings have clinical and public health implications and the implementation of an efficacious vaccination program is urgently needed for children and adolescents in low-income regions 23 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Vaccine Effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Adolescents from 15 to 90 Days after Second Dose: A Population-Based Test-Negative Case-Control Study

Oliveira

Oliveira²,

Colosimo³

et al. 2023

The Journal of Pediatrics

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Children and adolescents in African countries should also be vaccinated for COVID-19

Cited by 17 publications

References 12 publications

Systematic review and meta-analysis of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents following COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccination

Systematic review and meta-analysis of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents following COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccination

The Need to Study Clinical Outcomes in Children and Adolescents With COVID-19 From Middle- and Low-Income Regions

Vaccine Effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Adolescents from 15 to 90 Days after Second Dose: A Population-Based Test-Negative Case-Control Study

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