Children can be silent carriers of Covid-19, warns expert
A staff member checks the temperature of a young student at a primary school in Karachi, on the first day that physical clas-ses resumed for Grade 8 and below across the province. PHOTO: FILE
Young children can be silent carriers of the coronavirus as they are often asymptomatic or present systems not as commonly associated with confirmed patients of the virus and cases among them go undetected, according to paediatrician Jamil Akhtar of the Pakistan Paediatric Association.
Addressing the media on Monday, Dr Akhtar advised home-schooling for primary school children and maintained that while children may be less vulnerable to the effects of the virus, they were still prone to catching it and could transmit it to others.
Of the 328,602 cases confirmed in the country until the filing of this report, 11,035 were children less than 10 years of age, and at least 24,755 cases were confirmed among children ranging from 11 to 20 years. The current coronavirus death toll of the country stands at 6,730.
According to Akhtar, children are not tested for the virus as frequently as they are either asymptomatic or present with diarrhoea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms similar to the Kawasaki Disease.
He called for research to determine the effects of the coronavirus in Pakistan's children and teenagers.
Although only 0.3 per cent of confirmed patients are children under 10 years of age, the age group can be effective carriers and can expose their parents or grandparents to the deadly virus, he said. "Instead of sending them to schools where they cannot follow SOPs, they should be taught at homes."
Children carry the virus asymptomatically like many adult asymptomatic patients, he said, pointing to the deaths of paediatricians and child-specialist health professionals as evidence, as he claimed they likely caught the disease from their young patients.
"Very few children have been tested for Covid-19 in Pakistan so far. So the ratio of positive children is less as compared to adults. When a couple tests positive for the virus, it is generally assumed the children would have remained safe," he said.
Akhtar underscored that reported coronavirus cases are rising in the country and a second surge in the pandemic is feared in winter. "We have already stopped following SOPs and our children are free to mingle in small and crowded classrooms and public and private schools. This can lead to serious repercussions for our elderly population," he said, urging parents to safeguard children from the virus to protect themselves and others.
When asked why children aren't affected as severely by the virus, despite malnutrition and weak health, Akhtar remarked that there was still plenty unknown about the virus. It is essential to conduct studies as it will remain among us for some time, even if vaccines are invented, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2020.