CNN
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When Covid-19 patients under the age of 5 also test positive for another respiratory virus, they tend to get sicker and develop more severe illness, a new study suggests.
Among hospitalized children younger than 5 years of age, testing positive for both covid-19 and another respiratory virus at the same time is associated with roughly twice the odds of severe respiratory illness than those who tested negative for other viruses, according to the study published on Wednesday in Pediatric Magazine.
The study comes amid a tough season of respiratory viruses, including RSV, influenza, Covid-19 and other viruses that have overwhelmed children’s hospitals. The findings demonstrate the impact respiratory viruses are having in children’s hospitals and how “continued surveillance” of circulating Covid-19 and other illnesses can help predict future surges in hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control researchers wrote. and US Disease Prevention and various colleges and universities. United States departments of health.
Caring for young children with overlapping respiratory illnesses was something Jenevieve Silva experienced firsthand during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The peak of the illnesses was from September to mid-November, when our family just couldn’t rest,” he said.
The San Jose, California-based mother of eight said her young twins “have been hit by viruses” since they started preschool in May 2021.
Last October, Silva’s twins tested positive for covid-19 and then developed what their pediatrician suspected was another respiratory viral infection, possibly respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, around the same time.
“Based on what the pediatrician told us, she said, ‘I strongly believe they had these overlapping viruses,’” Silva said, adding that the children’s symptoms included shortness of breath, cough, fatigue and fever, with one twin having a Fever of 105 degrees for four days in a row.
Hot baths and massages Vicks VapoRub on her back and chest helped ease the pain, but watching her children battle these respiratory illnesses was “brutal,” Silva said.
“They looked so fragile, they looked sick, like something deeper than just back-to-back viruses,” he said. “It was hell. I mean, it was really bad.”
The children have recovered and are now doing “very well” and have gained a healthy weight, Silva said, but he is concerned they may have developed asthma after their illnesses.
Since October, when they had overlapping viruses, “the doctor now says it looks like that could have given them asthma. And now, ever since, when they catch a cold, they have asthma symptoms: violent coughing episodes, sometimes vomiting,” Silva said.
“I can’t be the only mom dealing with one virus after another,” she said, adding that for other parents, she has a message of hope: “Be patient. Listen to your doctor.”
The new study included data on 4,372 children who were hospitalized with covid-19. Among those tested for other respiratory viruses, 21% had a codetele, meaning that another respiratory virus was also detected in the test results. The data came from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 hospitalization surveillance network called COVID-NET, with data from 14 states.
The researchers noted that they focused on co-detection, not co-infection, as testing would not necessarily show that a child was actively infected with both viruses just because they tested positive.
Overall, “this study found that respiratory virus codetections were rare in the first year of the pandemic, RSV and rhinovirus/enterovirus codetections increased during the predominantly Delta period, and influenza codetections were infrequent during the first 2 years.” of the pandemic,” the researchers said. he wrote in his study.
The data also showed that children with co-detections were more likely to be younger than 5 years, receive increased oxygen support, and be admitted to the intensive care unit. No significant associations were observed among children older than 5 years.
Specifically for children younger than 2 years, testing positive for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, while they had Covid-19 was significantly associated with severe illness.
More research is needed on the precise impact that two respiratory viruses can simultaneously have on the body, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and chief medical officer for the National Disease Foundation. Infectious, who was not involved in the new study.
“But we do believe that being attacked by two viruses, particularly if you are under five years of age (this study has clearly shown that it tends to make your illness more severe, more likely to be in hospital, more likely to be in the pediatric intensive care unit,” Schaffner said. “And clearly, having their lungs, their throat and their body, usually their immune system, attacked by two viruses simultaneously, could understandably make some young children more seriously ill.”
Dr. Asunción Mejías, an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the National Children’s Hospital, said hospitalized children she has treated for covid-19 and other respiratory virus code-screens often require increased oxygen support and treatment in the hospital. intensive care unit.
“Covid is a very pro-inflammatory virus, so it really weakens your immune response,” Mejías said. “And when you haven’t recovered yet and you have a second hit, in this case RSV or rhinovirus, you develop a more serious disease.”
Overall, Schaffner said the findings from this new study are one more reason why it remains important to make sure kids are up-to-date with their Covid-19 and flu shots.
Mejías agreed, emphasizing the importance of safe practices to prevent the spread of viruses to children who are too young to be vaccinated.
“The pandemic taught us how contagious these viruses are,” Mejías said of respiratory pathogens.
“If someone is sick, try to avoid contact,” he said. “These viruses are not only transmitted by saliva and secretions but also by hands. It can survive on your hands for more than 30 minutes. So if you touch your mouth and then touch a baby, the baby can self-inoculate with the virus and become infected. So washing your hands and all these measures are very important.”
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