08/20/2020 - 13:46
- Clarín.com
- Society
Researchers from the United States showed that children play a larger role than previously thought in the spread of the new coronavirus.
In a study conducted by scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) - the most comprehensive study of pediatric patients with COVID-19 to date - it was shown that infected children had a significantly higher level of virus in their airways than adults with COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care units.
The study, whose results were published in the Journal of Pediatrics, involved 192 children and young people between 0 and 22 years of age; Of these, 49 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and another 18 had a late-onset illness related to Covid-19.
Recreational outings with children at Parque 3 de Febrero in Palermo. Photo Germán García Adrasti.
"I was surprised by the high levels of virus that we found in children of all ages, especially during the first two days of infection. I did not expect the viral load to be this high," said Lael Yonker, study leader and director of the Center for Cystic Fibrosis of MGH.
“You think of a hospital and all the precautions taken to treat seriously ill adults, but the viral loads of those hospitalized patients are significantly lower than those of a 'healthy' child walking around with a high viral load of SARS-CoV -2, "Yonker continued.
The transmissibility or risk of contagion is higher with a high viral load. And even when children exhibit typical COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, and cough, they often overlap with common childhood illnesses, such as the flu or the common cold. This confuses an accurate diagnosis of coronavirus.
Children in protective masks and screens attend class in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo EFE.
Along with viral load, the researchers examined viral receptor expression and antibody response in healthy children, children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, and fewer children with Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C).
" Children are not immune to this infection and their symptoms do not correlate with exposure and infection," explains another of the authors, Alessio Fasano, director of the Research Center for Immunology and Mucosal Biology at MGH.
The researchers note that although children with COVID-19 are not as likely to become as seriously ill as adults, as asymptomatic carriers or carriers with few symptoms who attend school, they can spread the infection and carry the virus into their homes.
Macarillas in the Rivadavia de Caballito Park. Photo Germán García Adrasti.
This is of particular concern for families from certain socioeconomic groups, who have been most affected by the pandemic, and for multigenerational families with vulnerable older adults in the home.
In this study, 51% of children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection came from low-income communities , compared with 2% from high-income communities .
In another groundbreaking finding, the researchers question the current hypothesis that because children have fewer immune receptors for SARS-CoV2, this makes them less likely to become infected or seriously ill.
The use of face masks is a constant in recreational outings with children. Photo Germán García Adrasti.
The group's data shows that although younger children have fewer receptors for the virus than older children and adults, this does not correlate with a decrease in viral load.
According to the authors, this finding suggests that children may have a high viral load, which means thatcan be contagious , regardless of their susceptibility to developing covid-19 infection.
Source: DPA.
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