Study: Children at Increased Risk of Serious Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Shots

According to a new study conducted in Norway, children face an increased risk of serious adverse reactions following receipt of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) COVID-19 shots. The study, which is awaiting peer review, found that children 12 years of age and older, who received the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna/NIAID mRNA COVID shots, are at higher risk of developing a number of adverse reactions, including anaphylactic shock, lymphadenopathy, heart inflammation, acute appendicitis, epilepsy, facial nerve palsy, convulsions and more.^{1 2}

The study population included 500,000 children born during 2002-2009 who were given mRNA COVID shots in 2021 or 2022. Upon analyzing data from the Norwegian Emergency Preparedness Register for COVID, which contains information on vaccinations and health care encounters, the researchers found that children who received an mRNA COVID shot were five times more likely to suffer severe allergic shock within two days after the first dose and 10 times more likely to suffer allergic shock within two days after a second dose.¹

Children Who Got mRNA COVID Shots Had Higher Risk of Swollen Lymph Nodes and Heart Inflammation

Children who got the mRNA COVID shots were also 2.5 times more likely to develop lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) within two weeks after a second dose, and seven times more likely to experience heart inflammation (myocarditis and/or pericarditis) within 28 days of a second dose. ¹

According to Very Well Health:

Swollen lymph nodes will usually return to their normal size within a few days when a child gets over an infection. However, lymphadenopathy can be a sign of serious conditions, such as cancer or autoimmune disease, so it’s best to keep an eye on it and have your child’s pediatrician check it out if it doesn’t improve within a few days.³

The website “Swollen Glands in Children” was updated on Jan. 3, 2024, just days after the Norwegian study was published online. While the publication provides a multitude of even “less-common” causes for lymphadenopathy, mention of “adverse event from a vaccine” is noticeably missing.³

Still, in 2022, researchers found links between swollen lymph nodes and COVID-19, both as a side effect of the mRNA COVID shots and a symptom of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. Because swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of a serious health condition, Medical News Today says a person should contact their doctor if their swollen lymph nodes continue growing, are larger than one centimeter wide, do not shrink on their own, occur alongside symptoms such as a sore throat, fever, difficulty breathing, night sweats, and unexpected weight loss, or develop in a person with no signs of illness or infection.⁴

After mRNA COVID Shots, Children Face Higher Risk of Acute Appendicitis, Epilepsy and Facial Nerve Palsy

Phase 3 clinical trials found an increased risk of lymphadenopathy among participants 16 years of age and older who received mRNA COVID shots. In a supplementary analysis, when the researchers expanded the adverse event risk windows—or the time period when the recipient is most at risk for experiencing an adverse event—they found an increased risk of acute appendicitis and facial nerve palsy. Additionally, epilepsy and convulsions were more likely to occur in 18- and 19-year-olds within a 28-day risk window after receiving the mRNA COVID shots. The study found that beyond the risk window, children were also at risk of “other health problems” in addition to those mentioned in the study.¹

German Tapia, PhD of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and his co-authors wrote:

Knowledge of potential post-vaccination adverse events is crucial to weigh benefits against risks, and for future vaccine recommendations. The number of observed outcomes and statistically significant associations were generally low in this study, with some exceptions which should be further monitored.¹

The authors said additional studies investigating adverse reactions in children after being given mRNA COVID-19 shots should be conducted.¹

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