Just like adults, children can also experience Post Immunization Adverse Events (AEFI), and a common symptom is a child's fever after the vaccine. What to do?
AEFI or side effects of giving COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 6-11 tend to be lower than in adults.
In terms of age, the AEFI at the young age is lower than the productive age and the elderly. So it is not true that the AEFI in children is higher.
With a much lower serious AEFI level, it proves that giving COVID-19 vaccination to children aged 6-11 years is safe.
The results of clinical trials also show that there is no serious effect of injecting the COVID-19 vaccination. Even if there are AEFIs, they tend to be mild and easy to deal with.
From the clinical trials of Phase 1 and 2 of the Sinovac vaccine that we have conducted on children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, it shows that the reactions experienced tend to be mild, the majority experience local pain, followed by fever and cough. There were also no reports of serious AEFIs in the vaccinated group.
Meanwhile, for the Pfizer vaccine, the most dominant side effects appeared were redness, then fatigue, headache and chills.
AEFI Naturally Occurs
Various reactions that appear after the COVID-19 vaccination (KIPI) is a form of the body's response to the injected vaccine. Therefore, if an AEFI appears, it is something that is natural.
What must be considered is the degree of side effects from vaccination, because AEFI has a different reaction for each person, some reacting from mild to severe.
In mild reactions, it is recommended to rest immediately after vaccination. If a fever appears, it is recommended to immediately take the medicine according to the dose and drink enough water. If there is pain at the injection site, keep your hands moving and apply cold compresses.
When Children Fever After Vaccination
Meanwhile, if there is a fever after 48 hours of vaccination, the child must immediately self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19. If the complaint does not decrease, you can contact the contact number of the health worker listed on the vaccination card or the nearest health facility.
If there are serious side effects or AEFIs, then the patient will receive medical treatment and all costs will be borne by the government.
Vaccination for children aged 6-11 years is the government's effort to protect children from potential transmission of COVID-19, especially the Omicron variant. Given that children are one of the groups that are very vulnerable to being infected with the virus, they need additional protection to increase their immunity.