How vaccinating children against flu and gastrointestinal illness can slow down Covid-19

Facts. They are seven learned pediatric societies to have published a open letter, Wednesday August 19, in favor of a special measure to fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.

They plead with parents to “strengthen vaccination against influenza and generalize vaccination against rotavirus of small infants (the cause of gastroenteritis, editor’s note)” before the start of the school year on September 1.

Why it matters. According to them, these two vaccinations would make it possible to fight more effectively against the coronavirus.

First, it would prevent further overburdening of emergency rooms and health systems by reducing episodes of gastroenteritis in small infants.

Then, by avoiding any confusion between the symptoms of Covid-19 and those of gastro, for example, and reducing the poor prognoses.

“15 to 30% of children hospitalized or seen in consultation for COVID-19 have digestive signs, including diarrhea, which makes the differential diagnosis very difficult with rotavirus gastroenteritis”, explain the companies.

“Vaccinating against these diseases would therefore represent a means of reducing consultations, emergency visits and hospitalizations at a time when the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 is likely to be intense again,” she concludes.

Pediatricians are not the only ones to defend these points since in May, the Academy of Medicine, already pleaded for a massive vaccination against the influenza, then against gastroenteritis in July. Moreover, the forum also suggests that fifteen European countries already recommend this vaccine to be done on a regular basis.

Avoid a “chaotic” re-entry. The big fear of these experts is that, in view of the increased virus circulation in recent weeks (5,429 additional cases in 24 hours, Wednesday 26 August), the start of the new school year has not favored the appearance of new contaminations in a disorderly fashion, as has already been the case.

Pediatricians give the example of schools closed because, sometimes, of a single positive case after a serological test without PCR test, that is to say without being sure that the person was infected at that time.

“It seems to us that the start of the school year risks being chaotic with closures of classes or even schools not justified by health or epidemiological reasons and in all cases highly deleterious for children and their learning”, they alert.

Develop saliva tests. Faced with the potential upsurge in coronavirus cases, companies are encouraging preparations for testing. But not just PCR tests (those where the test is introduced into the nose).

“If the rate of PCR positivity in children remains low, the pursuit of this strategy of systematic PCR in children, would probably prove to be very unprofitable while representing a significant human and financial cost for the community”, warn -they.

The solution: make saliva tests available, less unpleasant and repetitive than PCR.

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