Background: In response to the pandemic brought about by COVID-19, vaccines were developed immediately. Together with adhering to safety protocols, vaccines are needed to help decrease the mortality and morbidity. As with any other, COVID-19 vaccines are evaluated based on efficacy and safety. Real world data is important in the recommendation of vaccines. Objectives: This study aims to assess the short-term safety of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines administered to Filipino adolescents from October 15, 2021 to December 15, 2021 at the Philippine General Hospital. The number and type of local and systemic reaction within 7 days of vaccination were determined. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. The review of the recorded events was done through an electronic diary that was accessed from the official Electronic Medical Records of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). This included solicited and prespecified local and systemic reactions that occurred within 7 days of receipt of vaccine dose. Descriptive statistics was used to present the data. Results: Out of the 1,756 BNT162b2 vaccines administered (Dose 1- 890; Dose 2- 866), 13% (N=221) indicated having adverse reaction. Injection site pain was the overall most common reaction with majority (81%) experiencing it within 7 days of vaccination. Systemic reactions made up 60% of the reactions after Dose 1 and 85% of the reactions after Dose 2. This includes tiredness, headache and fever. None of the reactions required hospitalization or further workup. Conclusion BNT162b2 vaccine has a good safety profile among adolescents vaccinated at UP-PGH, since most of the reported adverse events within 7 days of vaccination were local and systemic reactogenic reactions that did not necessitate hospitalization or work-up. No serious adverse events were reported. Further follow-up is suggested to assess longer term safety.
COVID-19 Vaccines ; mRNA Vaccines

Background: In response to the pandemic brought about by COVID-19, vaccines were developed immediately. Together with adhering to safety protocols, vaccines are needed to help decrease the mortality and morbidity. As with any other, COVID-19 vaccines are evaluated based on efficacy and safety. Real world data is important in the recommendation of vaccines. Objectives: This study aims to assess the short-term safety of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines administered to Filipino adolescents from October 15, 2021 to December 15, 2021 at the Philippine General Hospital. The number and type of local and systemic reaction within 7 days of vaccination were determined. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. The review of the recorded events was done through an electronic diary that was accessed from the official Electronic Medical Records of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). This included solicited and prespecified local and systemic reactions that occurred within 7 days of receipt of vaccine dose. Descriptive statistics was used to present the data. Results: Out of the 1,756 BNT162b2 vaccines administered (Dose 1- 890; Dose 2- 866), 13% (N=221) indicated having adverse reaction. Injection site pain was the overall most common reaction with majority (81%) experiencing it within 7 days of vaccination. Systemic reactions made up 60% of the reactions after Dose 1 and 85% of the reactions after Dose 2. This includes tiredness, headache and fever. None of the reactions required hospitalization or further workup. Conclusion BNT162b2 vaccine has a good safety profile among adolescents vaccinated at UP-PGH, since most of the reported adverse events within 7 days of vaccination were local and systemic reactogenic reactions that did not necessitate hospitalization or work-up. No serious adverse events were reported. Further follow-up is suggested to assess longer term safety.
COVID-19 Vaccines

Allergic diseases, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and food allergy, are preventable diseases. Primary prevention strategies of allergic diseases have been in scrutiny. Effective prevention strategies maybe started prenatally, postnatally, during infancy, and even during childhood. These guidelines have been prepared by the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the Philippine Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. They aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for the dietary primary prevention of allergic diseases in children. The primary audience of these guidelines is all healthcare practitioners who manage patients with potential allergic conditions. These guidelines are based on an exhaustive review of evidences, mostly systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and cohort studies. However, there are still many gaps in the evidence of dietary primary prevention of allergic diseases.
Allergy and Immunology ; Asthma ; Child ; Cohort Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Eczema ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Gastroenterology ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Primary Prevention ; Rhinitis, Allergic

Background. Asthma is a complex disorder characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and an underlying inflammation. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world and its burden of disease is exceedingly high. According to current guidelines, the asthma action plan is a cornerstone in the management and control of asthma exacerbations. Written action plans are now recommended for all children with asthma as part of initial home management of acute wheezing episodes and exacerbations. Translating the written asthma action plan to Filipino and testing it for cultural content validity and reliability will make it useful on a wider scale in our country, help reduce morbidity, and improve asthma control in the Filipino pediatric population.

Objectives. To perform content and cultural validation and reliability testing of the Filipino Written Asthma Action Plan (FWAAP).

Methods. The Written Asthma Action Plan was translated to Filipino following conventional translational steps: 1) forward translation, 2) back translation, 3) pilot testing and validation, 4) final translated version. We conducted a cross-sectional study and administered the FWAAP during pilot testing among children and caregivers with asthma attending an asthma clinic.

Results. We included 31 patients. The participants considered the FWAAP to be relevant to their disease, understandable, concise and useful in the management of asthma. The tool was shown to be highly consistent (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.9235 showing that the. Seigel and Castellan's Kappa (Inter-rater or Inter-observer consistency) showed inter-rater agreement of 0.9615 (kappa of 0.7787) and 0.923 (kappa of 0.8846) respectively showing adequate inter-rater agreement.

Conclusion. The Filipino asthma action plan is a reliable and valid tool for managing asthma in the home setting.