Mussadiq Sabba, Verma Rajesh K, Singh Dharmendra P, Bajpai Prashant K, Begum Naila, Kumar Sandeep
Department of Microbiology, Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Department of Community-Medicine, Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Feb;11(2):542-546. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1239_21. Epub 2022 Feb 16.
The role of children in transmitting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is difficult to ascertain and the consequences remain unclear. This is necessary for public health or infection control purposes. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, month-wise trends and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection among children in a tertiary care hospital.
A cross-sectional study was performed on all pediatric samples of suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The samples were received from the adjoining districts and our Institution in the Department of Microbiology from June to November 2020. Cases were then confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.
Of the total 62,030 pediatric samples tested, 847 (1.3%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive. The majority of positive cases were between the ages of 11-15 years. The median age of confirmed patients was 14 years. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Infants represented 1.6% of the positive cases. About 62.1% of all positive cases were asymptomatic. Childhood cases increased from June 2020 and peaked in September 2020 before declining.
Children of all ages appeared susceptible to COVID-19 and accounted for a very small proportion of confirmed cases. Mostly, children were found to be asymptomatic. Young children can be important transmitters of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population. This population can be important for targeting immunization efforts throughout a rapidly evolving situation. Our findings provide further evidence of the distribution of infection in children and the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
儿童在传播严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）病毒中的作用难以确定，其后果仍不清楚。这对于公共卫生或感染控制目的而言是必要的。本研究的目的是描述一家三级护理医院中儿童2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）感染的流行病学、逐月趋势及临床特征。
对所有疑似SARS-CoV-2感染的儿科样本进行了一项横断面研究。样本于2020年6月至11月从毗邻地区及我们机构的微生物学系接收。然后通过实时逆转录聚合酶链反应确诊病例。
在总共检测的62030份儿科样本中，847份（1.3%）为SARS-CoV-2阳性。大多数阳性病例年龄在11至15岁之间。确诊患者的中位年龄为14岁。男女比例为1.5:1。婴儿占阳性病例的1.6%。所有阳性病例中约62.1%无症状。儿童病例从2020年6月开始增加，在2020年9月达到峰值，随后下降。
各年龄段儿童似乎都易感染COVID-19，且确诊病例占比非常小。大多数情况下，儿童无症状。幼儿可能是普通人群中SARS-CoV-2感染的重要传播者。在快速演变的形势下，这一人群对于确定免疫接种目标可能很重要。我们的研究结果为儿童感染分布及SARS-CoV-
