“Greece has recently been shaken by a flood of daily reports of an unprecedented series of sudden deaths among healthy children and adolescents…data from the Greek Statistical Service bear overwhelming evidence to what is happening, giving rise to serious alarm.”

Question for written answer  E-002019/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ioannis Lagos (NI)

Greece has recently been shaken by a flood of daily reports of an unprecedented series of sudden deaths among healthy children and adolescents. Furthermore, forensic experts are unable to provide any clear explanation for this. At the same time, the data from the Greek Statistical Service bear overwhelming evidence to what is happening, giving rise to serious alarm. The unexplained deaths of 33 children between five and nine years of age and 37 between the ages of 10 and 14 (a total of 70) were recorded in 2020, the figures for 2021 being 37 and 43 respectively (a total of 80). In the first half of 2022 alone, the number of children and adolescents aged up to 19 who have died in this way already totals 138.

In view of this:

• 1.Is the Commission planning to provide research funding in a bid to enable experts to draw reliable conclusions as to the cause of this surge in sudden deaths of children and adolescents?
• 2.Has it received in-depth scientific research findings confirming that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine used to inoculate children and adolescents in Greece is in fact safe for that purpose, thereby excluding the possibility of the vaccine being responsible for this wave of deaths among of children and adolescents?

Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

11.8.2022

EU legislation on serious cross-border threats to health[1] obliges Member States to immediately notify the European Commission and each other[2] about sudden outbreaks of communicable diseases that may pose a risk to public health, including resulting in high morbidity or mortality. Greece has not notified of any recent unusual death rates among children.[3]

While technical support is available[4], the responsibility for health services, including primary epidemiological investigation of the underlying causes of outbreaks, rests with Member States.

The Commission granted a marketing authorisation to Comirnaty, as to any medicinal product, only after its quality, safety and efficacy, including results of pre-clinical tests and clinical trials have been evaluated and a positive benefit-risk balance related to its use has been concluded[5].

Comirnaty has been authorised for use in children from 5 years of age and for adults[6]. COVID-19 vaccines are subject to a strengthened post-marketing pharmacovigilance, the safety reports are published[7].

• [1] Decision No 1082/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on serious cross-border threats to health.
• [2] Through the Early Warning and Response System EWRS.
• [3] The only possibly related notification is of hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children, whereas of 29 July 2022 Greece has reported 12 cases, no deaths: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/hepatitis/joint-weekly-hepatitis-unknown-origin-children-surveillance-bulletin
• [4] Notably through the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• [5] Comirnaty | European Medicines Agency https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/comirnaty
• [6] https://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/html/h1528.htm
• [7] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/treatments-vaccines/vaccines-covid-19/safety-covid-19-vaccines

Martin comments: A rather defensive and evasive response, as to be expected from a politician.

Stats for births and deaths in New Zealand are due to be updated on 17 November for NZ, up to and including September 2022. I will check our stats then. Meanwhile vax cheerleader Helen Petousis Harris admits:

Meanwhile here’s a video for your perusal. While some of the footage may show epileptic seizures and non vax related episodes, I think the presentation is worth viewing for its overall message: These sudden deaths and cardiac events are on the rise, and it doesn’t take a genius to make a connection to the mRNA vaccine rollout.