Roma. «They are few, very few. And that’s a big deal. But we pediatricians are working hard to convince these expectant parents. Because children are a large reservoir for the circulation of the virus and its variants and must be vaccinated immediately. Now. Not after the summer ».
Fifteen million Italians at Delta variant risk. The Mallorca effect is scary
by Alessandra Ziniti
Annamaria Staiano, director of general pediatrician at the Federiciana University Hospital of Naples and new president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, consult the updated numbers of vaccinations in the youngest segment of the Italian population, between 12 and 19 years: 727,000 with one dose ( 15% on an audience of over 4.5 million people) and 127,000 with double dose (2.7%). “But of these – he explains – 80 percent are young people between 16 and 19 who are enthusiastically joining the vaccination campaign. It is the graduates, the not yet of age but already old enough to want to win a safe holiday pass, to tell the hesitant parents that they want to get the vaccine. Under the age of 16, on the other hand, we can say that those vaccinated with one dose do not reach 150,000, too few ».
Viola, 16, vaccinated only after the legal warning to her father
by Chiarastella Foschini
Yeah, the hesitant parents. This is the term that perfectly captures the attitude of most Italian families who, despite the opening of reservations for 12-year-olds, prefer to wait. So much so that some local health authorities, for example, in Rome have launched a real fact-finding survey “on the vaccination hesitancy among students’ parents” by sending schools a long questionnaire to be distributed to families to understand the reason for this reluctance to respond to the campaign of the government. Reluctance that, in addition to risking acting as a flywheel for the Delta variant, could seriously jeopardize the reopening in the presence of schools in September.
But what do parents fear for their youngest children? Possible dangerous adverse reactions, the lack of studies on large numbers, the too rapid time of experimentation for drugs on the smallest? Surely the reporting of some episodes of myocarditis in this age group (still none in Italy) to which – it is worth remembering – only mRna vaccines are administered (therefore Pfizer and to a very limited extent Moderna) has aroused some apprehension. Hence the decision of the Ministry of Health to recommend the administration of vaccines to children preferably in pediatricians’ offices for a more direct and reassuring dialogue with families even if many Regions have decided in the meantime to start with dedicated Open days or with administrations in hub.
“In the meantime, let’s clear away malainformation immediately – says Annamaria Staiano – Very accredited studies have confirmed that vaccines are absolutely safe even for the youngest, aged 12 and up. And no cause-and-effect relationship has been demonstrated with these rare episodes of myocarditis that have occurred in older boys (ages 17 and up) and are still mild and quickly regress. Not to mention those who fear that mRna vaccines can modify DNA. All nonsense ».
Pfizer vaccines for those aged 12 to 15: green light from Aifa
by Michele Bocci
What is certain is that the hesitation among the parents of the little ones is transversal and widespread in all regions. “It is not a question of no vax at all – explains the president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics – The vast majority are regularly vaccinated fathers and mothers who, however, have a thousand doubts for their youngest children and prefer to wait for the return from holidays. They ask us for information but then they leave believing that the risk for children of contracting the disease (let alone in severe form) in this moment of such low infections is really minimal and therefore the risk-benefit ratio according to them is not worth the candle. However, they understand that for the resumption of the school it is important that the students are vaccinated but they postpone, maybe they schedule the appointment for the end of August, early September. And they are wrong. First of all because it is demonstrated that for the Delta variant it is essential to be fully vaccinated and if you do not start now there are no times and then because in any case there is still a large slice of non-immunized adult population and these kids can turn into a formidable reservoir of contagions “.
Hence the great work of persuasion that Italian pediatricians do every day in their professional offices, but also an appeal in view of the new school year: «There is not only Covid. In this year and a half of the pandemic, young people have paid a very high price on a psycho-physical level, in terms of isolation, difficulties in social relations. We can’t afford another year in Dad. For the health of our children and everyone, let’s get them vaccinated immediately ».
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