Children and teens with allergy food, respiratory or cutaneous, can vaccinate against coronavirus. With the foresight that those who in the past had anaphylactic shock in the past must remain for an hour under observation at the vaccination center. And some extra precautions must be taken by those who know they are allergic to an excipient contained in the anti Sars-Cov-2 vaccine. In addition, those with asthma symptoms that are not properly treated should postpone vaccination. Today the specialists of the Italian Society of Pediatrics provide the indications for safe immunization even for allergy sufferers. Here’s everything parents and teens need to know before the vaccine.
Already today, children aged 12 and over can already get vaccinated against Covid-19. “Allergies shouldn’t stop adolescents from vaccinating, and when it becomes available for children,” he points out Luciana Indinnimeo, professor of paediatrics at the Sapienza University of Rome and director of Pediatric Area, magazine of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, “since vaccination is important both for them, to protect them from any symptoms – there are cases of Long Covid even among children – and to reduce the circulation of the virus and the appearance of new variants”. And allergy sufferers can get vaccinated safely. “For those with allergies, even if to drugs, there are no particular contraindications, remembering that the vaccine does not contain latex and egg proteins, among the main allergens”.
A few more rules
There are some precautions to be taken. First rule: do not change therapies on your own initiative and do not start taking drugs, especially cortisone drugs, in view of the anti Covid vaccination. The second precaution to follow, for those who in addition to allergies in the past have had anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening event caused by any allergen, is to prepare to stay longer under observation at the hub where the vaccination takes place. . “The operators themselves will ask for an hour-long stay – continues Indinnimeo – an appropriate precaution. Reactions of this kind usually occur within 15-20 minutes, but in rarer cases they can also occur within an hour. the vaccination centers the staff are equipped with the tools, such as adrenaline, to better manage these events “.
Who has already had reactions
Slightly different is the situation of those who already know they are allergic to an excipient contained in the vaccine. To check for any allergies, all the excipients are available (for example who those of the mRna vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech e who that of Moderna, the two vaccines used in the youngest). Fortunately, there are very few cases of anaphylaxis after the Covid vaccine: a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are about 11.1 cases per million doses administered, while a relationship of the Italian Medicines Agency speaks of 4.7 episodes per million doses.
Peg and other excipients
“For those who are allergic and have had anaphylactic shock, as regards the excipients, the element to be taken into consideration, associated with anaphylaxis, is polyethylene glycol (Peg)”, explains Indinnimeo, “used as a stabilizer of lipid nanoparticles and also present in other drugs. . In very rare cases you can have an allergy to this polymer “. Those who have already had a reaction to the PEG must request a thorough allergological evaluation, to be carried out in the hospital and not directly in the vaccination center, before receiving the anti Covid vaccination. The evaluation will allow to estimate and quantify the entity of the allergy.
But do people allergic to other components (for example to mites or pollen) have to test for Peg allergy before getting vaccinated? “In general, for those who are allergic there is no such indication or advice”, replies the expert, “because Peg is present in other drugs (and not only) and generally the person has already met it, their clinical history it keeps track of them. It being understood that in case of doubts it is still advisable to consult your doctor “.
Beware of those with asthma symptoms
Another rule concerns children and young people who suffer from asthma, both allergic and of another nature, even if allergic is more frequent, in infancy and young people. “When asthma is not adequately controlled, vaccination should be postponed until complete management is achieved,” says the expert. “Asthma is defined as controlled when there are no symptoms, not even mild ones, either during therapy or if not treated. There must never be cough, breathlessness, shortness of breath – neither during the day, at rest, nor at night, nor when it is made of physical effort “. In all these circumstances asthma is not treated properly. “We must not underestimate – explains Indinnimeo – these manifestations and perhaps think of keeping them under control with bronchodilator drugs, which are used in the acute phase. If the young man manages the symptoms with these drugs, this means that the asthma is not controlled and the vaccine it must be postponed. You can receive the vaccination after at least one month of full control, even better if 3 months. “
The postponement should not raise any alarm on the vaccine, explains the expert, but it is a precaution due to the fact that the symptoms indicate the presence of an inflammatory state. “In these cases, the recommendation to postpone is valid for all vaccines, not just the one against Covid”, concludes the pediatrician, “and this extends to all chronic and autoimmune diseases, not just asthma, from which children and boys, when not adequately placed under medical supervision “.
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