Filenews 20 August 2020
American students are returning to their schools amid a coronavirus pandemic, and fear for teachers and their families is growing as new research is published showing that children may be spreading Covid-19.
Several large studies have shown that the vast majority of children infected with coronavirus show milder symptoms than adults, while early research has found no strong evidence that children contribute much to the spread of the deadly virus.
But more recent research is starting to show how contagious children infected with Covid-19 may be, even those who show no symptoms.
"Children don't get away with it"
"Contrary to what we thought based on the epidemiological evidence, children are not getting away with this pandemic," Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Iosology and Biological Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of the research.
Fasano and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Children's General Hospital concluded that children infected with coronavirus have significantly more virus load in their airways than adults hospitalized in covid-19 intensive care units. The high virus load was detected at all ages, from infants to adolescents, although most survey participants were aged 11 to 17 years.
The research, published today in the scientific journal Journal of Paediatrics, involved children and young adults aged 0-22 years who had been admitted to the emergency room with suspected Covid-19 symptoms. Forty-nine of them, a quarter of the total, tested positive for the virus. Another 18 were included in the research after being diagnosed with multi-organ inflammatory syndrome, a serious disease associated with coronavirus that can occur in children several weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2.
According to the research findings, children may have a higher virus load, which means they are highly contagious, regardless of whether they have developed symptoms of Covid-19.
"There's some conflicting evidence out there about the extent to which children are contagious," dr. Marybeth Sexton, associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta who was not involved in the research.
"There is additional evidence that we may be able to see children as sources of infection," he added, but explaining that more research is needed.
Concern of experts
Another study published in July in the journal JAMA Pediatrics had concluded that older children hospitalized with Covid-19 had corresponding rates of 10 percent in their upper respiratory tract as adults, but children under 5 years of age had significantly higher levels of 10 percent.
However, other medical teams present different information about children's ability to spread coronaion. The American Paediatric Academy updated its guidelines yesterday Wednesday and now states that "children under the age of 10 may be less likely to become infected and transmit the disease, while those over the age of 10 may spread it in the same way as adults."
Recent research in South Korea concluded that people are more likely to be infected with coronavirus than family members, with children under the age of 9 being less likely to be the ones bringing the disease home.
As most children infected with SARS-CoV-2 show very mild symptoms, they were largely ignored during the early stages of the pandemic.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the percentage of children hospitalized due to Covid-19 from March 1 to July 25 was 8 per 100,000, while the rate for adults was 164.5 per 100,000.
However, experts have also begun to express concern about the multi-organ inflammatory syndrome, which some children experience after being infected with coronavirus, as cases increase.
Patients are increasing
"The number of these patients is on the rise," commented the doctor.
Also of concern is the occurrence of type 1 diabetes among children diagnosed with coronavirus. Little research in Britain has concluded that the rate of juvenile diabetes almost doubled at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, suggesting that there may be a link between the two diseases, which needs more investigation.
"The more we understand, the more we conclude that no one is getting away with this pandemic,"
Source: RES-BE
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