COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, was first identified in December 2019 in China and since has spread around the world. Covid 19 is declared as a Global pandemic by world health Organisation
The incubation period of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be about the same for children as in adults, at 2-14 days with an average of 6-10 days. Symptoms observed COVID-19 in children which include:
• Fever • Fatigue • Headache • Myalgia • Cough • Nasal congestion or rhinorrhea • New loss of taste or smell • Sore throat • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Abdominal pain • Diarrhea • Nausea or vomiting • Poor appetite or poor feeding
As more children become infected with Covid-19, doctors are paying closer attention to potential long-term effects. A Kawasaki-like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children has recently been reported in a number of countries associated with the SARSCoV-2 pandemic [2]. Others reported a COVID-19 post-infectious cytokine release syndrome that had features similar to Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome. Interestingly and possibly related to this inflammatory picture, variations in NK cell and perforin function which are associated with virally induced HLH may also influence the severity of the clinical course and mortality rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections [3].
Worldwide, children have been profoundly affected by the social and economic upheavals caused by COVID-19. The pandemic unleashed a perfect storm into the lives of most marginalised children. A single disaster can produce a cascading effect that would create an unforeseen chain of secondary or multiple risks. Children are hugely affected to pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak acts as a catalyst for a considerable rise in child maltreatment by exacerbating some of the known contributing factors, such as household poverty, overcrowded housing, social isolation, intimate partner violence, and parental substance abuse[4].
In adults, one of Covid’s most troubling effects has been so-called longhaul cases, in which people, whose illness initially seemed moderate end up having symptoms for months, sometimes getting worse over time [5]. Now as doctors warn that children may be more vulnerable to the virus than initially believed, researchers are looking more closely at longer-term symptoms in kids, too. Conclusion Due to community mitigation measures and school closures, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to and among children may have been reduced in the United States during the pandemic in the spring and early summer of 2020. This may explain the low incidence in children compared with adults. Comparing trends in paediatric infections before and after the return to in-person school and other activities may provide additional understanding about infections in children.
Reference & Source information: https://www.iomcworld.org/
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