Covid-19: Children more susceptible than previously assumed

By Mohani Niza

Despite affecting more adults than children in general, new studies are showing that children are more susceptible to the novel coronavirus than previously thought.

One study for example, titled ‘Characteristics and Outcomes of Children With Novel coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection Admitted to US and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units’, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, examined 48 patients from newborns to those age 21. These pediatric patients had been admitted to ICUs in hospitals across US and Canada after testing positive of novel coronavirus in March to April 2020. 80 per cent of them had critical underlying medical conditions such as chronic lung diseases, diabetes, obesity and seizures.

The study found that 20 per cent of those admitted suffered failure of two or more organ systems due to Covid-19 following hospital admission. 40 per cent needed breathing tubes and ventilation. During follow-up, it was found that one child was on life support while two had died.

“The idea that COVID-19 is sparing of young people is just false,” said study co-author Lawrence C. Kleinman from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “While children are more likely to get very sick if they have other chronic conditions, including obesity, it is important to note that children without chronic illness are also at risk. Parents need to continue to take the virus seriously.”

On May 14, US health officials had issued a critical alert of the rising number of a rare yet life-threatening autoimmune condition among children linked to Covid-19. The illness is called ‘multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children’ or MIS-C. Its symptoms in children include fever, rashes, swollen glands and in extreme cases, heart inflammation as well.

MIS-C is nearly similar to Kawasaki disease – a disease first detected fifty years ago. The disease causes fever and in the long-term, heart attacks too.

As of May, New York had witnessed 73 children being infected by novel coronavirus and who also exhibited symptoms of Kawasaki disease. One little boy, aged 5, died.

The situation in Asia

In South Korea, two children recently were diagnosed with MIS-C. They are the first suspected cases of the illness in the country and are reportedly recovering well after receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, there has been 317 cases of infants and children with Covid-10 as of May 17, said the country’s health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The numbers of children in the county under 12 who had Covid-19 as of May 17 were as follows: 77 cases in Selangor; 48 in Negri Sembilan; 46 in Johor; 28 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya; 26 in Sabah; 23 cases in Sarawak; 14 in Pahang; 12 in Kelantan; 10 in Penang; 9 in Melaka; 7 in Terengganu; 5 in Kedah; 1 in Perlis and 1 in Labuan.

Children less likely to be tested

Experts say despite the rising numbers of children testing for novel coronavirus, much more study must be done about the illness among this group.

They note that fewer research has been done because children exhibit fewer and milder symptoms, and often show symptoms that mirror other illnesses. Many studies are focusing on the effects of the novel coronavirus on older and more vulnerable groups.

Thomas Hwang from Harvard Medical School said: “The exclusion of children from Covid-19 clinical trials is a tremendous lost opportunity to generate timely knowledge to guide treatment of pediatric populations.”

He and his team found that only 30 people out of 275 Covid-19 treatment studies conducted by early April were less than 18 years old. He also noted that studies are beginning to emerge showing that children may suffer from longer-term complications from the illness.

The impact of coronavirus on education of children

Across the world, many schools have been suspended for the time being and this has had a huge impact on the psycho-social and intellectual progress of children. Authorities are left grappling with the problem of when to re-open schools amidst fear of a spike in cases.

Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and the director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said: “If the idea is that we’re going to keep the schools closed until we have a vaccine, which is the most likely way that this pandemic will end, then conservatively, we’re talking about another 18 months at the earliest.”

“But that would mean that kids would spend two years in a distance learning environment. Think about what that means for a 5-year-old or 6-year-old. Even a child from a well-to-do family is going to suffer detriments, but for low-income kids, the effects are going to be enormous and carry forward through the child’s entire life. So, we can’t take a wait-and-see attitude,” he said further.

Takeaways

Much more research and resources must be invested in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic among children. From what has been shown above, children are largely affected by the illness, whether suffering from it directly or having their learning development affected.

Category: Features, Top Story