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Based on family data for 39 children under the age of 16, children appear less likely to be the first case of COVID-19 in a household than adults.
“Unlike other viral respiratory infections, children do not appear to be the major carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with most pediatric cases within familial clusters.” “There is no child-to-child documentation, and there is no child-to-adult transmission.”
so Published research To Pediatrics, Through a hospital surveillance network, the researchers analyzed data for all COVID-19 patients under the age of 16 identified between March 10, 2020 and April 10, 2020. Parents and household contacts were asked to track the contacts.
In 31 of 39 households (79%), childhood symptoms developed after at least one adult family was suspected or confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings corroborate data from previous studies that suggest that children do not get the virus, but mostly from adult families.
Only 3 out of 39 (8%) had the first symptoms in the children surveyed. “Remarkably, 33% of households have symptomatic HHC [household contacts] Despite the fact that the SARS-CoV-2 cases belonged to a confirmed familial cluster but were negative, suggesting an underreported number of cases.”
The findings were limited by a number of factors, including underreporting of cases, as people with mild or atypical symptoms were unable to confirm medical care or child-to-adult transmission. The results were reinforced by the few individuals who failed extensive contact tracking and follow-up, they said. However, they conclude that more diagnostic screening and contact follow-up are needed to improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2 domestic transmission.
Solving the problem of the number of children contributing to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was the reopening of schools and child care facilities, Dr. Benjamin Lee, William V. Raska Jr, MD at the University of Vermont-Burlington. Accompanying editorial..
The data from the current study support other studies of infections among household contacts in China, and in most cases of childhood infections, “children are not the source of infection, They give them the ones that get COVID-19 most often,” they wrote.
In addition, limited data on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by children outside the household are available in a French and Australian study that identified a small number of secondary infections from children identified as SARS-CoV-2 in school settings in school settings. Shows the case. .. Rusca pointed out.
“Based on these data, SARS-CoV2 infections in schools may not be as important in community infections as they initially feared,” the editor wrote. “This is another way that SARS-CoV2 differs dramatically from influenza, with school-based infections well-recognized as an important driver of epidemics, and most of them related to school closure as a public health strategy.” Forms the basis of evidence of.”
“Therefore, we need to seriously consider strategies for keeping schools open, even when COVID-19 is widespread,” the editors concluded. “In doing so, until the effective therapies and vaccines are developed and distributed, or, if not, the herd’s immunity is reached, children continue to suffer from potentially serious social and developmental problems. , And minimize health costs.” Dr. Dr. Lee and Dr. Raska stressed.
This study is not externally funded. The researchers and editors had no financial conflict to disclose.
Pediatrics. 2020; 146: e20201576, e2020004879. Full text, editorial
This article was first published MDedge..
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