According to medicine, fewer cases of Coronavirus have been detected in children than in adults. Generally, the virus causes a milder infection in them, although some have become seriously ill.
In Colombia, according to the Ministry of Health, until August 5, 27,042 children under the age of 18 have been infected, of whom 57 have died; 85 have had to enter Intensive Care Units and 778 have been hospitalized in general.
However, despite this panorama, José Antonio Vargas Soler, pediatric infectologist at the Cardiovascular Foundation and the International Hospital of Colombia, HIC explained that children have a mild, temporary and often asymptomatic infection.
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“They are infected with COVID-19 in a lower proportion and the severity of their symptoms is milder than in adults,” he said.
This does not mean that a case cannot be complicated or that any of the positive children cannot die.
“If it can happen, especially in newborns or children who have serious underlying diseases such as heart problems, cancer, among others. There have been cases of deaths but the percentage of infection and death is much lower than in adults, “added the specialist.
Specifically in Santander, the virus in minors is not behaving differently. According to the health professional, the percentage of contagion in this population ranges between 7.5% and 10% of adults across the country.
Why are children infected?
Although in Santander no studies have been carried out to look at the traceability of contagion in this population, according to the pediatrician, what has been seen in other parts of the world is that minors are infected from their parents, caregivers or some adult who is infected in the immediate family nucleus.
“This is more likely to happen to children becoming infected and taking the virus to their parents,” said Vargas Soler.
Can they be around older adults?
Much has been said about avoiding contact between the younger population and older adults, in order to avoid spreading the virus, however, for the pediatric HIC infectologist, if the children are at home and have not left, there is no problem with grandparents if they do not go out. “Right now there is more risk that an older adult will bring the virus home than a child.”
Also read: Red Alert: ICUs reach their dangerous tops.
How should you take care of a child positive for COVID-19?
Many parents wonder what to do if their children get sick. Before the virus, the care is basically the same as an adult person infected with the disease.
Isolation inside the house, constant use of the mouthpiece of the sick minor and his entire family 24/7 and constant hand washing is recommended.
“According to the protocols and due to the lack of evidence, the Ministry of Health has established that if a person from a family nucleus becomes infected, it is assumed that all the other members are sick. That is why it is recommended that everyone keep the strict quarantine for 10 to 14 days, “said Vargas Soler.
And the pregnant women?
According to the specialist, the severity of the infection in pregnant women does tend to be greater, in addition to having a higher risk of having premature births.
Regarding the transmission of the mother-child virus, he explained that two forms of contagion have been demonstrated, one horizontal and the other vertical.
“The most frequent thing is that the newborn is infected at birth if the mother is positive (horizontal transmission), but it can also happen that during pregnancy the mother transmits it through the placenta and blood (vertical transmission)” .
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