This was announced by the Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Allergologie und Umweltmedizin (German Society for Paediatric Allergology and Environmental Medicine) at the end of October 2021. The statement comes in response to the current discussion around the COVID-19 vaccine for children and adolescents.
The specialist society recommends that patients seek advice and a diagnosis from an allergy department or specialist surgery if they have had:
- A previous severe allergic reaction to another vaccine
- A known reaction to a component of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
- An allergic reaction to the first dose, which only occurs rarely. Only after an allergy has been diagnosed can the decision be made as to whether and how the second dose can be administered and with which vaccine.
No vaccine concerns for asthma patients
The specialist society also stated that children and adolescents with well-controlled, stable allergic asthma do not have an increased risk of a severe illness with SARS-CoV-2.
It recommends vaccination, especially for children aged 12 years and older with well-controlled bronchial asthma, after making an informed decision and considering both the risks and the benefits.
The vaccine recommendation also applies to children and adolescents:
- With unstable and/or poorly controlled asthma
- With other serious respiratory diseases
- Especially those with multiple and/or complex diseases.
At the same time, the specialist society advises that the individual wants and needs of the children and their families should be taken into account in the decision-making process.