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UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
AAP recommends children receive COVID-19 vaccine
The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending children as young as six months receive the COVID-19 vaccine, despite the Trump administration stating it is not necessary for healthy children. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The United States' leading pediatrics association is recommending that children as young as six months old be inoculated against COVID-19, going against the Trump administration, which stopped recommending healthy children receive the vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics made the recommendation Tuesday in the publication of its childhood and adolescent immunization schedule for this year. The report specifically recommends that children be inoculated against COVID-19 between the ages of six and 23 months, stating that those in this age range are at the highest risk of suffering the worst effects of the disease. "Children younger than 2 years old are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19 and should be prioritized for vaccination unless they have a known allergy to the vaccine or its ingredients," the AAP said in a release accompanying the report. The AAP recommendation goes against that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who in late May said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was no longer recommending that "healthy children" be immunized against COVID-19. Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, cited "a lack of any clinical data" to support booster COVID-19 shots for children. That move prompted AAP and other leading medical groups to sue Kennedy in July for making "unilateral, unscientific changes" to federal vaccine policy, calling it an "assault on science public health and evidence-based medicine." "This administration is an existential threat to vaccination in America, and those in charge are only just getting started," Richard Hughes IV, partner at Epstein Becker Green and lead counsel in the case, said in a statement. "If left unchecked, Secretary Kennedy will accomplish his goal of ridding the United States of vaccines, which would unleash a wave of preventable harm on our nation's children." Kennedy in June also fired all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with his own appointees, including three who have spoken out against the COVID-19 vaccine, two of whom have served as witnesses in lawsuits against vaccine makers and one who served on the board of the nation's oldest anti-vaccine group.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dangerous hidden side effect of Covid infection revealed by new study
Covid may prematurely age blood vessels by around five years, according to a new study, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Research published in the European Heart Journal revealed that a Covid infection could accelerate the ageing of blood vessels, particularly in women. Vaccinated individuals show less stiffening in their arteries and stabilised symptoms over time in comparison to those who had not been protected against Covid. Lead researcher Professor Rosa Maria Bruno, from Université Paris Cité, said: "We know that Covid can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular ageing, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease. 'If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes." The new study tested nearly 2,500 people from across the world, categorising them based on whether they had Covid and whether they had been hospitalised for it, both in a general ward and in an intensive care unit. Tests were taken six months after an infection and again after 12 months. It measured each person's vascular age with a device that examines how quickly a wave of blood pressure travels between the artery in the neck and the legs. The higher the measurement meant the stiffer the blood vessels, indicating a higher vascular age. It found that all three groups of patients who had a Covid infection had stiffer arteries compared to those who hadn't been affected. The average increase in women was 0.55 meters per second for those who had mild Covid, 0.60 for those who had been hospitalised, and 1.09 for those in intensive care. According to researchers, an increase of around 0.5 meters per second is "clinically relevant" and equivalent to ageing around five years. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, like heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac arrest, in 60-year-old women by 3 per cent. The difference between men and women could come down to immune systems, Prof Bruno added. She said: 'Women mount a more rapid and robust immune response, which can protect them from infection. However, this same response can also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection.' She said the virus acts on specific receptors in the body that are in the lining of the blood vessels. The virus will use these receptors to enter and infect cells. Last month, it was reported that a new strain of Covid had spread across the UK, accounting for the highest proportion of cases - around 30 per cent. Experts warned the Stratus strain was resisting immunity and had a unique symptom of giving people a hoarse voice.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
US pediatric group breaks with CDC advice, recommends COVID vaccines for young children
The American Academy of Pediatrics released its vaccine recommendations on Aug. 19 in a break from federal guidance shaped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The AAP, in tandem with multiple other professional medical associations, previously decried a May announcement made by Kennedy Jr. that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the Centers for Disease Control's recommended immunizations for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that went against previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process. The AAP, a professional organization of over 65,000 board-certified pediatricians dedicated to advancing children's medicine, said in a June 26 statement that it would "continue to publish its own evidence-based recommendations and schedules," as the creation of federal immunization policy is 'no longer a credible process." Kennedy Jr. drew further ire from medical communities when he fired all 17 original members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the committee of health experts that provides guidance on vaccine use to the CDC, replacing them with members that critics have called unqualified. Some of the members, like Kennedy Jr., have a history of anti-vaccine advocacy and involvement in anti-vaccine groups. Here's what to know about the new AAP guidance and how it differs from federal guidelines. What is the AAP guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for children? The AAP schedule lists which vaccines children should get at certain ages and provides updated guidance on influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 immunizations for children and adolescents from birth to age 18. The schedule recommends that all children between six months and 23 months receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the chance of serious illness. Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18, without other high-risk factors like immunosuppression, can receive and should be offered the vaccine if they were not previously immunized, according to the guidance. Children, teens, and adults alike who are at increased risk of serious infection should receive the vaccine if they have not already, AAP said, adding that its recommendation differed from the CDC, which it said is now staffed with people who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. "The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children, and adolescents," AAP President Dr. Susan J. Kressly, MD, said in a statement. "Pediatricians know how important routine childhood immunizations are in keeping children, families and their communities healthy and thriving." What is the federal guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for children? The CDC did not go as far as completely removing COVID-19 vaccination from its immunization schedule despite Kennedy Jr.'s insistence. Instead, the agency changed its language from recommending the vaccine annually to suggesting parents consult with their child's physician on whether to vaccinate. Kennedy Jr. previously said that the CDC planned only to recommend the COVID vaccine for people over the age of 65 and those at high personal risk of infection, though the agency's website still contains information recommending it for everyone over the age of six months. A notice on the top webpages on the topic reads, "COVID-19 vaccine recommendations have recently been updated for some populations. This page will be updated to align with the updated immunization schedule," as of Aug. 19. This change to whom the vaccine is recommended could make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, experts warned. Since insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations, anyone who wants the shot but isn't on the CDC's recommendation list may have to pay the price out of pocket HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon defended the decision in a statement to USA TODAY, accusing the AAP, which receives funding from pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, of failing to have proper conflict-of-interest safeguards in place. "By bypassing the CDC's advisory process and freelancing its own recommendations, while smearing those who demand accountability, the AAP is putting commercial interests ahead of public health and politics above America's children," Nixon said. Kennedy Jr. shared a separate response on social media on Aug. 19, pointing out that the agency's top donors are four companies that "make virtually every vaccine on the CDC recommended childhood vaccine schedule" and saying that the AAP recommendations are "corporate-friendly" and may "promote commercial ambitions of AAP's Big Pharma benefactors" instead of public health. "AAP should also be candid with doctors and hospitals that recommendations that diverge from the CDC's official list are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act," his post concluded. USA TODAY reached out to AAP for comment on Aug. 19 but has not received a response. The new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices didn't vote on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations when they met in June and are expected to reconvene in "September/October," according to the CDC. The FDA has signaled intentions to revoke the Pfizer COVID-19 shot for young, healthy children. In early August, HHS announced that it would pull $500M in funding from mRNA vaccine research and development.
