Covid-19: Will my child get infected with Covid? If so, how often do you get infected?Pediatrician views data

analysis: Since more rises Infectious delta variantI have seen the report of More cases for children Than previous virus strains.

Many parents are becoming more worried about their children’s Covid. One question that many people ask is that children say “Long covidAlso – if the symptoms last for months from the early stages of the illness.

I am a pediatrician, an infectious disease expert, COVID-19 And I am following research in this area.

Kids can get long Covids, but it doesn’t seem to be more common than adults. And they tend to recover faster. Let’s look at the data.

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* Covid-19 NZ: What We Know About Children and Delta Variants
* Covid-19: 44 children test positive in one day as Delta variant wipes out New South Wales
* How does Covid-19 affect the brain? Two neuroscientists explain

What is Long Covid?

There is no long standard definition of Covid yet, and the syndrome itself varies considerably.

There is no one form of it, but three broad types of symptoms occur frequently.

• Cognitive effect, Slow thinking, “brain fog”, etc.

• Physical symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain

• Mental health symptoms such as mood changes and anxiety.

Symptoms that persist for more than 28-30 days after the onset of Covid are increasingly labeled in the medical literature as Covid.

Long cumulative effect COVID symptoms It can have a significant impact on a patient’s daily life, work and school function.

Does it happen to children?

Long covids probably occur in children, but may be less common than adults.

Two Australian studies are useful here.of One study In the proportion of adults and children, researchers found 20 percent of more than 2000 Covid cases New South Wales I had persistent symptoms in 30 days. By 90 days, this had decreased to 5%. The youngest age group (0-29 years) was more likely to recover faster than the older age group.

so Study from Victoria Examining only children, 8% of 151 children, most of whom had mild infections, showed some persistent symptoms for up to 8 weeks. But everything recovered completely in 3-6 months.

most Comprehensive research So far, it has been a large study of children aged 5 to 17 years using mild Covid in the United Kingdom. Of the 1734 children, 4.4% reported persistent symptoms 28 days after the onset of the disease.

In these children, the number of symptoms at 28 days was lower than that of the first week of their illness.

The study found that 1.8% of children showed symptoms on day 56. Headache, malaise and loss of smell were the main problems.

Three-quarters of children with persistent symptoms reported complete recovery. However, it was unclear how many people in this small group had long-term problems, as a quarter were not followed up.

The same study observed children with other viral illnesses rather than Covid. It was found that 0.9% showed persistent symptoms at 28 days. This suggests that children develop a “background rate” of non-specific symptoms such as headache and malaise. This is important to consider, but the rate of children following Covid was quite high.

Some studies on children’s covids, such as Italy When Russia, Found that persistent symptoms are more common.

However, these studies examined different populations, including those who were hospitalized, those who had moderate to severe illness, or those who collected data retroactively.

Children were also infected during the first wave of Covid in Europe, and overall social impact contributed to some of the ongoing problems reported to children, such as fatigue and insomnia. It may be.

This variability between studies makes it difficult to compare them to calculate the actual proportion of long covids in children. In summary, teenagers appear to have a relatively increased number of persistent symptoms compared to younger children.

How about Delta?

These studies were conducted prior to the effects of new mutant strains of concern, especially Delta, which have shown an increase in the number of Covid infections in children.

Delta can lead to Increased severity of Covid in adultsHowever, there is still no convincing evidence that Delta is more serious for children.

Current hospitalization rates for the 2021 Delta outbreak in New South Wales Not bigger than those of Children across Australia in 2020..

both Adults and potentially children People infected with more severe Covid in the early stages of the disease (“acute”) appear to be at increased risk for long-term Covid. But if Delta does not cause more serious illness in the child, it is reasonable to expect Delta not to increase the risk of long covids in the child.

Scientists need to agree on a long Covid consensus definition and a standardized method for measuring it.

Given the non-specific nature of many long Covid symptoms, the study should also include a control group of children who do not have Covid to actually determine the effect of Covid.

Do you have persistent symptoms following other viral infections?

Yes.Here is a typical example: Glandular fever virusAlso known as Epstein-Barr virus, and Ross River Fever virus.

Until the research report 10 to 15 percent of children and adults These infections report chronic symptoms such as fatigue, pain, slow thinking, and mood swings.

What actually causes persistent symptoms after a viral infection, including Covid, remains the main focus of researchers. Persistent infection itself is unlikely.

The main theories include chronic inflammation, impaired blood flow, or damage to the nervous system.

What if my child gets infected with Covid?

Some children have a persistent cough and malaise around the mark for 4 weeks.

Parents are naturally worried, but rest assured that most children will fully recover. If there is a pattern of improvement, it is a reassuring sign.

If the symptoms persist for more than 4 weeks, it is advisable to keep in touch with your GP or pediatrician.

For other persistent symptoms after infection, we know what can help facilitate recovery. Here are some things to consider:

• Ensuring good sleep

• Aiming for your child to gradually return to normal activities

• If fatigue is a problem, Rest well After doing activities in a short period of time.

To return to normal activity, you may need to plan for contact with your teacher when you return to school. This is especially important in the context of online learning.

Aim for gradual gains, stay optimistic about recovery, and always seek help if you don’t know what to do.

Philip Briton Senior Lecturer of Child and Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney.

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