Your questions, answered How long after contracting covid-19 should a toddler be vaccinated? – Regan Q., Md. This is a conundrum facing many families, since the omicron waves have infected so many children. The American Academy of Pediatrics defers to guidance from the Centers Disease Control and Prevention, which leaves timing flexible: people who have recently recovered "may consider delaying" their shots by three months. It's best to discuss this question with your child's doctor, but several pediatricians said they'd suggest waiting. Kawsar Talaat, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine, pointed out that reinfection risk is low in the first three months after infection, and a longer gap between exposures to the virus or vaccine will allow a toddler's immune response to mature and defend more effectively against covid. "Why don't we maximize everything by waiting those three months?" Talaat said. "It gives them a boost from natural infection and the next dose boost will last longer." C. Buddy Creech, a pediatrician and director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program said waiting also makes sense for safety reasons. A rare multisystem inflammatory syndrome can develop in children weeks after infection. Giving a vaccine right away could make it difficult to discern whether any symptoms that develop are related to covid infection or the vaccine. Creech also noted that in the weeks after infection, as children's immune responses are peaking, giving a vaccine dose could increase side effects, such as fever and headaches. | 
Email
No comments:
Post a Comment