Especially in view of the school openings summer holidays and the return to normal operations raises the question of a growing debate: How infectious are children with the Coronavirus are infected? So far there is no definitive answer. “Infectiousness in children has rarely been investigated and can therefore not be definitively assessed,” he writes. Robert Koch Institute to.
Previous studies partially shown that children are more likely to be infected by adults. In terms of viral load, doctors don’t see a significant difference between children and adults. It can therefore be assumed that children are not only infected with the virus, but can also pass it on to other people in the same way as all other age groups. It was left open whether they would spread it more or less.
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New study from the USA speaks of a high level of infectivity in children
A study from the USA. could now shed some light on: in your opinion Children play in the spread of COVID-19 apparently a bigger role than assumed. Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Mass General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) examined 192 children and adolescents up to the age of 22, of whom 49 tested positive for the virus and another 18 showed similar symptoms of Covid-19.
It found that the infected children had a higher viral load than sick adults who were even treated in the intensive care unit. “I was surprised at the high viral load that we found in children of all ages, especially in the first two days after infection,” said study leader Lael Yonker. He did not expect that the viral load in children who were infected but looked healthy because they showed few or no symptoms would be higher than in adults with severe disease.
Children are just as good carriers of the virus as adults
For Yonker and his colleague Alessio Fasano, author of the study, this means that children as well as adults can be carriers of the virus, if not stronger. Because the higher the viral load, the higher the infectivity. “During the pandemic, we all focused too much on the patients who were showing symptoms and incorrectly concluded that they mostly affected adults. However, our results show that children are just as unprotected against it and, above all, that they can just as easily pass it on to others. “”
According to the researchers, children are particularly at risk because they often have weak symptoms or no symptoms at all and can easily spread the virus unconsciously.
In their study, the American scientists also questioned the hypothesis that children are less likely to become infected or seriously ill because of their lower number of immune receptors for Sars-CoV-2. Their studies showed that while younger children carry fewer viral receptors than older children and adults, this did not correlate with decreased viral load.
Serious complications in children after Covid-19 infection
In their study, the researchers also examined the immune response in MIS-C, the so-called pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which can develop in children several weeks after a coronavirus infection and is similar to Kawasaki syndrome. Complications of the accelerated immune response in MIS-C can include severe heart problems, shock, and acute heart failure.
“This is a serious complication due to the immune response to Covid-19 infection and the number of these patients is increasing,” said Fasano, who is also a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (HMS). “And as in adults with these very serious systemic complications, the heart appears to be the organ of choice for the immune response to the target after a Covid-19 infection,” adds Fasano.
Understanding MIS-C and post-infectious immune responses in pediatric Covid-19 patients is important to determine appropriate treatment and prevention measures. Early evidence of immunodeficiency in MIS-C should be viewed as a precaution when developing vaccination strategies, Yonker said.
According to researchers, rash in schools is leading to an increase in Covid-19 cases
As pediatricians, both Yonker and Fasano received constant questions from parents asking about their assessment of their children’s return to school and daycare. The two researchers agree that the most important thing is what measures schools and daycare centers take to protect the children, teachers and staff. Her recommendations include not relying solely on monitoring body temperature or symptoms to detect Sars CoV-2 infection in a school.
The researchers generally advocate a combination of social distancing Mask requirementWash your hands regularly and alternate between class and home class. “This study provides key facts to policy makers to help them make the best possible decisions about schools, daycare and other facilities that serve the children,” said Fasano.
“Children are a potential source of the spread of this virus and this should be taken into account when planning school openings.” Fasano fears that returning to school prematurely without proper planning could lead to an increase in cases of Covid-19 infection . The authors conclude, “If schools were to reopen fully without the necessary precautions, children would likely play a bigger role in this pandemic.”
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