According to the decision of the health ministers, child vaccinations have also started in the district.
Since the Stiko recommendation is still missing, paediatricians see themselves in a difficult legal situation.
Comprehensive, up-to-date and, above all, individual advice is required.
District -
Anyone who calls paediatricians in the district to talk to them about the corona vaccination for children earns rejections. At least as a journalist. The topic is too emotionally charged and divides society, they say. That's why you don't find many who want to speak out in public. Dr. Florian Gundel from Starnberg wants. But he too speaks of a “very sensitive issue”. Gundel, who shares his Starnberg practice with two doctors, vaccinates 12 to 17-year-olds even if they have no previous illnesses - although the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has not yet made a recommendation. Can I have my child vaccinated with a clear conscience? This question, which worries unsettled parents so much, should be clarified individually, says Gundel. "We try to provide comprehensive, up-to-date advice based on the information available,to give the parents the best possible basis for decision-making. "
There are two groups: “One has no questions and wants to be vaccinated. The other has a lot of questions - and half of them want to wait for the Stiko recommendation, ”says Gundel. When advising, he adheres to the information sheet for paediatricians and parents of the Robert Koch Institute, which is publicly available online. According to this, vaccination is only recommended for 12 to 17 year olds who have certain pre-existing illnesses (listed on the information sheet), “live in the vicinity of endangered people who cannot protect themselves” or “with a work-related increased risk of exposure”. But Gundel and colleagues are also confronted with other social factors. "For example, there are children who don't necessarily need the vaccination, but who absolutely want it because their friends already have it," says the doctor."And for some parents, the summer vacation is particularly important."
Gundel does not make a general recommendation for everyone. Covid-19 is mostly mild in children, often even symptom-free. Dr. Gunhild Kilian-Kornell, who practiced as a pediatrician in Starnberg until the end of 2020 and is chairwoman of the child protection association in the district, sees child vaccination as "an important step towards herd immunity". From their point of view, the risks of the vaccine for young people are lower than developing the delta variant and thus passing the virus on to more vulnerable adults.
Regardless of how you decide: As long as the Stiko recommendation for all children is still missing (due to the lack of data), the paediatricians see themselves in a legally delicate position. Even if the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the vaccines from Biontech (in May) and Moderna (a few days ago) for children and adolescents from the age of twelve. “We cover ourselves as best we can. We always get the signatures from both parents, ”says Dr. Florian Gundel. He cites medical lawyers who warn of lawsuits - should the vaccination one day have long-term consequences.
A pediatrician from Lake Starnberg, who wants to remain anonymous, is afraid of "being labeled as an opponent of vaccinations by her colleagues". In contrast to Gundel, she has not yet vaccinated children and adolescents - only when the Stiko recommendation is there. The doctor has the feeling that there are two camps, “just black and white”. But you can understand well, even if doctors still wait. That is why she does not understand the decision of the health ministers to force vaccination against children: "That is not in their professional competence."
According to the chairman of the Child Protection Association, Kilian-Kornell, the boys with and without a vaccination will continue to suffer from the consequences of the lockdown for a long time. “You couldn't take some development steps in isolation. It's very difficult to catch up, ”she says. The need for advice has risen sharply because the psychological stress in families has led to excessive demands and in some cases also to violence. In every respect, but also with regard to the vaccination, Kilian-Kornell emphasizes: "Children must not be excluded."
