Noob COVID 19 weakening against Prokids 2020 till date.
My nephew of just seven years old plays Minecraft and shows me how to gain immunity and fight zombies was teaching me this new lingo the other day.Well,actually it helps to connect with kids on a dental chair.
In this combat against deadly Corona virus more than 80 countries have confirmed COVID 19 cases while children fared well with just fewer symptoms. Corona/COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the new corona virus which seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After about a week, it leads to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment. Like all other virus it spreads via droplets, such as those produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
From the reports on the similar Corona virus outbreaks in the past, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome corona virus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS-CoV) infection, children represented only a smaller percentage with fewer symptoms and were less likely to be admitted to hospital. In China, where the outbreak started, children comprise just 2.4 percent of all reported cases of COVID-19. Of those, only a 2.5 percent experienced severe symptoms, and an even 0.2 percent became critically ill. All of the newborns delivered during this period via cesarean section, tested negative for the corona virus, and there were no traces of the virus in the mother’s amniotic fluid, cord blood or breast milk. While there was a reported case of newborn diagnosed with the virus 30 hours after birth but the clinical representation was of mild symptoms only.
While this had many a scientist boggling over the possible explanation the answer may lie in the difference between children’s faster and better immune response compared to those of adults. The innate immune response or the early response of children is aimed broadly at a groups of pathogens, tends to be more active. The same may be also due to maternal immunity passed onto infants. As people age and get exposed to environmental pollutants their immune systems weakens potentially making it harder for them to fight off any specific new illnesses.
Children, who are on an average exposed to flu virus every season such as the ones that cause the common cold, may have antibodies in their bloodstream for corona viruses that offers some cross-protection for this virus. Most children with COVID-19 present with respiratory symptoms and/or a cough, which cannot be differentiated from other common viruses including influenza. The child may however, have signs of viral pneumonia in their lungs, but otherwise displayed no symptoms as was reported in a 10 year old travelling with his family to Wuhan, China where all the members were confirmed positive.
Other researched and much talked about theory is healthy children differ markedly compared with adults in their ability to produce cytokines (IL-2, interferon-gamma, IL-4, and IL-6). The biological consequences of a “cytokine storm”, namely, immunopathogenesis caused by SARS-CoV, influenza virus, and dengue virus infections leading to immunoparalysis and subsequent death. The cytokine storm is best exemplified by severe lung infections, in which local inflammation spills over into the systemic circulation, producing systemic sepsis, as defined by persistent hypotension, hyper- or hypothermia, leukocytosis or leukopenia, and often thrombocytopenia. The kinetics of cytokine and chemokine gene expression can influence cytokine overproductionand increased mortality rate. In healthy children, cytokine production is decreased and/or altered and could result in a suboptimal immune response, which could be one of the factors to consider.
According to Annals of Translational Medicine, adults are more likely to suffer from an immune response that causes acute respiratory distress syndrome. When the immune cells do not function as they should, it can cause an inflammatory response in the lungs, leading to fluid filling the air sacs in the lung which is fatal and is in fact the main cause of death in people with corona virus. The respiratory system of children is well vascularized and have better immune response to fight infections. Most of the cases suggested viral pneumonia with no further clinical presentations. Children who were infected showed signs of a cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, diarrhea and a headache. Few had fever while many have no symptoms. The majority of children and adolescents with COVID-19 in China had mild infections and recovered in one to two weeks. Even infants, who are traditionally more susceptible to severe respiratory infections, had relatively mild infections.
Though it is unclear if the low numbers of child infections recorded is due to low exposure, lesser number infected or low representation of clinical symptoms, this does not mean that children can’t transmit the virus to others. Considering the viral load they can be carrier to more vulnerable members of the community who can get sicker.
Get your child vaccinated. The flu vaccine is safe for most children over six months of age, even those with a disability or chronic health problem. In fact, a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found the vaccine reduces flu associated death by half for children with high-risk medical issues.
Talk to children
Where myth and misconceptions spreads like wildfire on social media among children preadolescence it is best we as parents, teachers and well-wishers take responsibility and provide age-appropriate information and reassurance.
Teach your child proper hygiene. Tell your child how important it is to wash with soap and water throughout the day. Kids should scrub their hands for about 30 seconds—about the time it takes them to sing their ABCs. Encourage your child to use their classroom’s hand sanitizer when a sink’s not available.
Children should engage in usual preventive actions to avoid infection, including cleaning hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoiding people who are sick, and staying up to date on vaccinations.
GAMEFACE 