Short report: Vaccine attitudes in the age of COVID-19 for a population of children with mitochondrial disease.
Eliza Gordon-Lipkin, Christopher Steven Marcum, Shannon Kruk and 4 others
PMID 36201931WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with mitochondrial disease were far more hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine than routine childhood shots.
Half intended to vaccinate their child, with many fearing the vaccine would cause clinical deterioration rather than believing it safe.
Key findings
01Only 52% of parents intended to vaccinate their child with mitochondrial disease against COVID-19, despite 86% reporting their child was up to date with routine childhood vaccinations.
02Half of respondents felt the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine outweighed the risks for their child, while one quarter expressed concern that their child may become sick or deteriorate after vaccination.
03Statistical analysis confirmed that hesitancy was specific to the COVID-19 vaccine rather than reflecting general vaccine avoidance in this population.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was limited to English-speaking families with internet access who were members of specific advocacy groups, potentially excluding culturally diverse and low-income populations. The survey measured parental attitudes rather than actual vaccination behavior or patient outcomes. Findings may not generalize to adults with mitochondrial disease or other neurodevelopmental disabilities. The study period was early in the vaccine rollout, so attitudes may have shifted as more safety data became available.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that children with mitochondrial disease are generally anti-vaccine. The data show they are highly compliant with routine childhood immunizations but specifically hesitant about the novel COVID-19 vaccine due to fears of disease deterioration.