While waiting for the Argentine Ministry of Health to rule on the new guidelines given by the World Health Organization (WHO) on vaccination
against Covid
, a regional pediatric society, chaired by an Argentine, came to the crossroads specifically on the section for those under 18 years of age.
The WHO divided the populations into groups of
high, medium and low
priority , and placed the boys in the third.
Although the recommendation was not openly not to vaccinate them against Covid, it put the decision to the consideration of each country based on its
epidemiological context and the cost-benefit ratio
.
The Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE), chaired by Roberto Debbag, came up against these guidelines through a document that was released in recent hours.
There they show
how the Covid affected the child population
and underline the need to continue applying, at least, a first vaccination scheme in minors.
“The SAGE (WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts) document is confusing.
He talks about reinforcements and vaccinating only people who are at risk," Debbag told
Clarín
and considered that "children are at low risk for revaccination, but they must have primary vaccination."
SLIPE bases its conclusions on four pillars: the so-called
"long Covid", hospitalizations, multisystem inflammatory syndrome and transmission
.
“Our position is that the boys continue to be vaccinated,” Debbag said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General: Photo: Reuters
The expert added that “children have been forgotten in international studies on Covid.
We have studied the issue in Latin America and we know that they are at risk.
Without any doubt
it is a communication error
on the part of SAGE”.
Debbag added that "although it is unlikely that children will suffer from severe symptomatic Covid-19, hospitalization rates for the disease in the pediatric population are higher than those caused by
other
typical childhood infections such as influenza, whooping cough, hepatitis A, rotavirus, chicken pox, among others”.
The SLIPE document also contradicts the WHO on the issue of prolonged Covid in boys.
While SAGE stated that "empirical evidence on the extent of its impact is inconsistent," child infectologists in the region stated that
between 5 and 10 percent
of boys have suffered from this condition.
It translated into "fatigue, muscle pain, loss of smell beyond the infection, respiratory problems, depressive symptoms, anxiety and sleep disorders."
Finally, Debbag added that “vaccines based on the mRNA technology platform have proven
to be highly effective
in preventing infection by the virus and reducing the severity of the disease.
The vaccines are adapted for all ages, including children from 6 months of age, taking into account that the hospitalization rates in unvaccinated children doubled those
of
vaccinated children.
The Federal Health Confederation (Cofesa) - which brings together all the country's health ministers - met again this Monday but did
not report any news
related to these changes in the vaccination guidelines proposed by the WHO and which are now generating controversy.
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