Children Could Become 'Silent Spreaders' of COVID-19

'Pediatric Journal' Child Confirmed Cases
Symptoms Are Mild but Transmission Is Stronger Than Adults

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A study has found that children infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have a stronger transmission power.

Although they show fewer symptoms, their virus transmission ability is stronger than that of adults.

According to a paper published in the recent issue of the Journal of Pediatrics on the 20th (local time), researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children investigated 192 children and adolescents aged 0 to 22 who visited the hospital with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Among them, 49 were confirmed positive, and 25 showed fever symptoms.

In particular, the amount of virus in the upper respiratory tract of infected children was found to be much higher than that of adults admitted to the intensive care unit due to COVID-19.

In other words, when children are infected with COVID-19, they show fewer noticeable symptoms but have strong transmission power.

The researchers expressed concern, stating, "Infected children tend to show milder symptoms compared to adults and have a lower fatality rate," and "Asymptomatic individuals, including infected children, can spread the virus to their households."

Dr. Alessio Fasano, who participated in the study, warned, "Children are not immune to COVID-19, and these symptoms do not necessarily appear just because they are infected with the virus," adding, "Children can also be transmitters of COVID-19."

This is not the first study to suggest that children can be silent spreaders.

According to a paper published on the 30th of last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, coronavirus was detected in the upper respiratory tract of infected children under 5 years old with mild or moderate symptoms at levels at least 10 to 100 times higher than those of infected adults.

The research team from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Children's Hospital leading this study stated that when children are exposed to or infected with the coronavirus, their immune system may activate and, after several weeks, they may suffer from heart disease accompanied by hypotension or shock.

Dr. Fasano said, "The immune response to the coronavirus seems to primarily affect the heart among various organs," and added, "This should be considered when developing vaccines."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.