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ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Should I vaccinate my child against COVID-19 this winter? Here's the current advice for parents
As winter approaches and respiratory viruses spike, changing advice on childhood vaccines and knowing when to get each one can be confusing. This week, the US announced it will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children and healthy pregnant women, with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr calling it a "commonsense" decision grounded in sound science. The change follows last week's announcement by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials that they would limit approval of COVID-19 shots, a critical tool in ending the pandemic, to adults aged 65 and older, as well as younger individuals with underlying health conditions. It comes as experts are urging people to get their COVID booster jab as a new, more infectious variant emerges in Australia. So what do the Australian government and medical experts recommend for children? Here's your questions answered by ATAGI advice and experts. In Australia, the COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended for healthy infants, children, or adolescents who do not have medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness. However, children under 5 years who are immunocompromised are eligible for the vaccination. Children aged 5-17 are also eligible and it is recommended for all Australians aged over 18. The Immunisation handbook says this is because during the pandemic the risk of severe illness was extremely low in this cohort. "The rationale for the ATAGI recommendation is looking at the risk benefit analysis of preventing severe disease because that's what the COVID vaccine benefit analysis is decided on," Dr Kristy Short, a virologist at the University of Queensland says. "Children are unlikely to get severe COVID-19 and so the bar for having a vaccine in children is much higher than it is say in adults or the elderly who are at higher risk of severe disease." Dr Short says the advice around paediatric vaccination can be confusing. "It does become really complicated and I as a parent get that it is confusing advice and it's partly because the situation with children is not as black and white as it is in adults," she said. "When we talk about the elderly we know absolutely there is a high risk of disease, their immune response is impaired. "In children it is not as black and white." Dr Norman Swan says it is important to follow advice from ATAGI and discuss it with your GP. "High priority areas are pregnant women who need to have flu vaccines, RSV and really seriously consider COVID as well," he says. "Because COVID affects pregnant women more than otherwise healthy people and it can cause miscarriage and high blood pressure in pregnancy so they need ot talk about this with their doctor." He says risks of COVID-19 in children are low. "The main thing with kids is there is still a chance of long COVID in children which is reduced by immunisation and that's something to talk over with your GP." Dr Short agrees. "ATAGI made its initial recommendations on COVID vaccinations back in 2021 and we've now become aware of long COVID and the issue of long COVID and that doesn't factor into the risk benefit analysis that ATAGI has done," she says. "On top of that, long COVID in children is still poorly understood. "So this is a very long winded way of saying that the change in the US guidelines for paediatric vaccinations is probably not too shocking and it is in line with Australia's evaluation." What does concern Dr Short however, is the changing US advice to pregnant women. "What is really shocking is that they're no longer recommending COVID vaccination for pregnant women," she says. "This is in contrast with scientific evidence. "We know COVID-19 has implications for the fetus and where it becomes particular concerning is those early six months of the child's life when they are relying on maternal immunity. "There is no question in my mind that it should be available to pregnant women." ATAGI says pregnant women who have previously been vaccinated are not routinely recommended to have a further dose of COVID-19 vaccine. However, they can consider a further dose of COVID-19 vaccine based on presence of underlying risk conditions and/or personal preference. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends a COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6 months to less than 5 years with severe immunocompromised, disability, complex/multiple health conditions which increase the risk of severe COVID-19. This includes children with the following conditions: Dr Norman Swan says you can receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the flu vaccine. "The easy thing to do is if you're getting your child a flu vaccine you could get them that too if they're in the group recommended by ATAGI." Both are available at GP clinics and pharmacies. Children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years old that are severe immunocompromised are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine every 12 months, according to the latest advice by ATAGI. However, it is not recommended. Dr Swan says patients who are eligible for the vaccine should base it off when they last were vaccinated, not when they last were infected with COVID-19. The Australian Immunisation Handbook COVID-19 chapter has further details, including recommendations for people who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Australian measles vaccine advice reviewed as research suggests earlier jabs
Some Australian babies could face an increased risk of measles infection because of current vaccination guidelines, according to new research which suggests babies as young as four months may need to be vaccinated. The research lands as Australia's official vaccine advisory body, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (ATAGI), reviews existing measles vaccine recommendations. Every region of the world is experiencing a major escalation in measles infections, which has prompted ATAGI to launch the review of Australia's two-dose schedule. In Australia, a first dose is recommended at 12 months of age and a second at 18 months. An early, additional dose can be given at six months in specific situations, such as when a child is travelling to a country where measles is endemic. But new research suggests that might even be too late. Do you have a story to share? Email The Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) has called for authorities to urgently consider whether the first measles vaccine should be recommended at four months of age. Historically, children in their first year of life were thought to be protected from measles by maternal antibodies. These are transferred from mother to child through the placenta during pregnancy and provide temporary protection against the virus. But data has emerged showing these antibodies wane before children become eligible for vaccination, which creates a gap in immunity. MCRI researchers recently published a paper in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, which analysed data from more than 8,000 babies under nine months of age from over 30 low and middle-income countries including China, India, Turkey and South Africa. They found 81 per cent of babies had measles antibodies at birth, but 70 per cent had zero remaining antibodies by the time they were just four months old. Only about 18 per cent of the babies had antibodies at seven months. "In most countries, the number of children who have lost their immunity by three months is very substantial," said Professor Kim Mulholland, who specialises in paediatric immunology and was involved in the research. Previous research showed some babies in Belgium had an absence of measles antibodies as early as two months old, while antibody protection in Dutch babies lasted for about 3.3 to 5.3 months. A four-month dose is already recommended in New Zealand as a prevention tool during outbreaks. Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus and lower vaccination rates combined with increased global travel has led to a surge in cases globally. This year, 77 cases have been recorded in Australia so far, compared to the 57 recorded for the whole of 2024. This upward trend comes as vaccination rates among Australian children reach "critical levels" and, in some cases, have dropped below the threshold needed for herd immunity. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care said ATAGI was "closely monitoring" the situation and international evidence to inform any updates to vaccine recommendations. The ATAGI review would "ensure that timing and number of doses continues to provide the most effective protection for infants", they said. Professor Mulholland said Australia's immunisation coverage was still stronger than a lot of other countries and an earlier dose would be most critical in countries like Vietnam, where there were currently high infection numbers among young children. Infections are more deadly in children under the age of one and there is also the risk of a phenomenon called immune amnesia — where the immune system forgets how to fight infections it has acquired before. Immune amnesia is not a risk for people protected by the measles vaccine. Willingness to get an extra, earlier vaccine could be low among some groups given the rise of vaccine hesitancy, fuelled by fears about safety and efficacy. There are also some trade-offs to administering an earlier vaccine. Some reports suggest an early dose could be associated with a more rapid decline in antibody levels — so by the time a child is four or five years old they might have lower protection than if they waited longer to receive their first dose. "But measles in a child who has had a vaccine and then has declining antibodies is not as serious at that age, [however] they might circulate it and give it to younger infants who are higher risk," Professor Mulholland said. Archana Koirala, a paediatrician and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Sydney who was not involved in the research, agreed an earlier vaccine had a role to play during outbreaks. She said that was made more relevant due to young adults today having lower levels of antibodies than those in past decades. Research on blood donors published last year found older Australians had much higher levels of measles antibodies than younger adults, because they had grown up during a time when more measles was circulating. "Pregnant women [are now] starting with a low antibody titre [volume], thus less transfer to their infant resulting in faster decay of immunity in infants," Dr Koirala said. Dr Koirala said the arguments for a four-month vaccine had merit, but there were already a lot of kids not keeping up with the recommended vaccinations. "A lot of people aren't aware that if you're going anywhere overseas you should get your baby vaccinated [against measles] from six months," she said. Measles importation after international travel is the most common cause for infections in Australia. Professor Mulholland said Australia needed to make bigger efforts to improve immunisation globally, especially after the US withdrew funding of critical vaccine supply in developing nations. "Measles elimination is possible but it has to be global … Australia is not a country that's been particularly generous when it comes to foreign aid — it's probably time to change that position."
