Children and Covid-19: low-risk patients, high-risk carriers
Children seem to be less susceptible to Covid-19, but this statement should be interpreted carefully as they are, however, highly effective in spreading the virus.
Unlike people of other age groups, children seem to be the lowest risk group in terms of contracting Covid-19, with 98% of cases thus far having been contracted by adults.
But, says Dr Angelique Coetzee, the Chairperson of the South African Medical Association (Sama), this statement should still be carefully interpreted.
“Even if children show no symptoms or don’t test positive for the virus, they are highly effective in spreading it. Curious by nature and highly sociable, they touch everything and everyone around them, and they love physical contact. “This places the more vulnerable members of their families and communities at risk, and social distancing and everyday preventive behaviours are recommended for persons of all ages to slow the spread of the virus, protect the health care system from being overloaded, and protect older adults and persons of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.”
Coetzee stated that when it comes to common respiratory viruses, the very young and the very old groups of society usually tend to be more severely affected, but that the current Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) does not behave in this way: it is particularly devastating if contracted by the elderly, but it seems to spare children. Children seemingly being less susceptible might be good news as they are currently at home during the lockdown, but here they need to be protected from the virus, particularly children with underlying medical conditions, who are more vulnerable.
Why children are seemingly less susceptible to Covid-19
Dr Nipunie Rajapakse, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist from the Mayo Clinic, said theories about why children are seeming less susceptible, all point to their exposure to other coronaviruses, such as those causing the common cold, and their immune systems. “It must be noted that no person is immune to it. Since you haven’t been exposed to this virus in the past, there is no one with a pre-existing immunity to it.” He said other known strains of the Coronavirus generally cause the common cold, and it is suspected that some of those antibodies are providing children with a level of protection against Covid-19.
“Scientists think that this repeated viral exposure prepares the child’s immune system for SARS‐CoV‐2. This means that their bodies are better equipped to fight the illness once they encounter it.” He said it is also a possibility that a child’s immune system interacts differently with the virus, than the immune system of an older person would. A child’s immune system is less likely to react aggressively to the coronavirus, called a cytokine storm, which is associated with many adult deaths from Covid-19.
An additional factor may relate to the fact that children are much less likely to have other underlying health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, lung disease or weakened immune systems, than older person. These underlying diseases seem to be an important risk factor for developing more severe and complicated illness in adults.
How many children have tested positive for Covid-19?
Worldwide data on 2 April showed that between 1,7% and 5% of children between 0 and 18 years old were affected in various countries abroad. The average age being 11 years old, roughly 90% of children infected with the Coronavirus were exposed at home or in their community and 10% had travelled from high-risk destinations. Death from Covid-19 is extremely rare in children. In the few instances in which it has been reported, only children who had underlying conditions such as leukemia or heart problems, were affected.
In South Africa as on 2 May, no child under the age of 18 has yet died of Covid-19. No statistics were made available of the number of children infected after 20 April, when it was recorded by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, that of the 3 300 cases at the time, 83 children in the age group up to ten years old, and 136 in the age group 11 to 20 years old were infected with Covid-19.
*Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
