Kathleen Logan
From:
Peter McIntyre <[email address]>
Sent:
Tuesday, 22 June 2021 4:35 PM
To:
Kathleen Logan
Cc:
Emma Best; Anna Howe
Subject:
Re: child vaccinations
Dear Kathleen
Anna has asked me to reply on her behalf as I am a paediatrician specialising in
immunisation. There are a few issues embedded in your question.
1. would measles coverage be adversely impacted by COVID-19 vaccines for children?
2. is there any problem with administering other vaccines with COVID-19 vaccines
including measles?
With the approval for use of the Pfizer Cominiraty mRNA COVID vaccine for children 12-15
years, there is no issue with measles vaccines as these are now administered at 12 months
and then at 15 months together with mumps and rubel a. The only possible problem would
be if catch-up MMR vaccine was required for a child 12-15 years.
As a precaution, and to avoid any mistaken attribution of adverse effects post COVID-19
vaccine, a gap of 4 weeks between MMR and COVID vaccines is currently recommended.
However, there is no first principles reason to think that this gap is necessary, and other
countries with more extensive COVID vaccine rol out are now relaxing this requirement or
have never had it, so it is likely to go.
In summary, no expected problem with coverage, especial y as we are some way from any
recommendation to give COVID vaccines in the second year of life and indeed this may never
happen given low risk of infection and transmission in children < 5 years. As far as co-
administration is concerned, there is no immunological reason not to give more than one
vaccine at the same time in terms of immune response capacity - after al children cope with
exposure to multiple viral infections simultaneously - the main limitation is the tolerance of
vaccinators and parents for this.
I hope this has answered your questions
Kind regards
Peter McIntyre
Peter McIntyre | AO, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM
Professor
Womens and Childrens Health
University of Otago | Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo
Tel/Waea +64 XXXXXXX | Mobile/Waea pūkoro +64 XXXXXXXX
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From: Kathleen Logan <[email address]>
1
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2021 10:37 AM
To: Anna Howe <[email address]>
Subject: child vaccinations
Tēnā koe Dr Howe
I got your name from our col eague Nikki Turner.
I have a quick question from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.
We are concerned about reduction in measles vaccinations.
Can you tel me whether multiple vaccinations can be done at a time. Eg if children are getting a
Covid vaccination, can they also get a measles one? Or does that chal enge those kil er T cel s too
much to cope with mounting an effective response to both? Or does it depend on the health status
of the child?
Ngā mihi
Dr Kathleen Logan (PhD)
Senior Advisor, Strategy Rights & Advice
Te Tari o te Kaikomihana mō ngā Tamariki
Office of the Children’s Commissioner www.occ.org.nz
P: XXXXXXXXXX | M: XXXXXXXXXX
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