“Government campaign for children corresponds to advice” – Belgium

(Belga) The government campaign on the vaccination of children is in line with the decision of the task force, the Interministerial Conference on Public Health and with expert advice. That is what the Agency for Care and Health (AZG) says. It thus responds to statements by Flemish MP for N-VA Lorin Parys, who asked Minister of Welfare Wouter Beke to withdraw the campaign.

The health ministers gave the green light on Monday to use Pfizer/BioNTech’s corona vaccine in children aged five to eleven. On www.laatjevaccineren.be, a website of the Flemish government, parents will find a flyer with information about the vaccination of children. The flyer also encourages parents to have their children vaccinated. N-VA MP Parys wants that campaign to be withdrawn. According to Parys, there are errors in it and the text does not reflect the advice of the Superior Health Council on the vaccination of children. Among other things, he pointed out that the vaccine is recommended in children with comorbidities, while it is offered for other children. We are convinced that the content of the campaign is in line with the decision of the task force and the Interministerial Conference on Public Health and with expert advice, the Agency for Care and Health said in a response. The agency emphasizes that vaccination remains voluntary. We want to make it possible for parents and children to make an informed choice. As for Parys’ comment that the flyer says nothing about the omikron variant, MSF added that it is continuously updating the information. Parys also denounced that it said that immunity through vaccination is better and longer lasting than through infection, while he believes it is just the opposite. However, the Agency for Care and Health says that more recent studies show that immunity after infection is limited and temporary and can be adjusted in a dosed way after vaccination. “We should not mistakenly assume that a natural infection automatically provides lifelong protection. The best example of this is whooping cough, which we know is susceptible again after 10-15 years after natural infection. Ditto for the winter coronaviruses, they also give temporary immunity, and certainly not for life.” (Belgium)

The health ministers gave the green light on Monday to use Pfizer/BioNTech’s corona vaccine in children aged five to eleven. On www.laatjevaccineren.be, a website of the Flemish government, parents will find a flyer with information about the vaccination of children. The flyer also encourages parents to have their children vaccinated. N-VA MP Parys wants that campaign to be withdrawn. According to Parys, there are errors in it and the text does not reflect the advice of the Superior Health Council on the vaccination of children. Among other things, he pointed out that the vaccine is recommended in children with comorbidities, while it is offered for other children. We are convinced that the content of the campaign is in line with the decision of the task force and the Interministerial Conference on Public Health and with expert advice, the Agency for Care and Health said in a response. The agency emphasizes that vaccination remains voluntary. We want to make it possible for parents and children to make an informed choice. As for Parys’ comment that the flyer says nothing about the omikron variant, MSF added that it is continuously updating the information. Parys also denounced that it said that immunity through vaccination is better and longer lasting than through infection, while he believes it is just the opposite. However, the Agency for Care and Health says that more recent studies show that immunity after infection is limited and temporary and can be adjusted in a dosed way after vaccination. “We should not mistakenly assume that a natural infection automatically provides lifelong protection. The best example of this is whooping cough, which we know is susceptible again after 10-15 years after natural infection. Ditto for the winter coronaviruses, they also give temporary immunity, and certainly not for life.” (Belgium)

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