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Covid-19: Children Under 5 Are Particularly Contagious According to Study

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A recently published scientific study casts doubt on the spread of Sars-CoV-2 infected children. The youngest, under the age of 5, would actually be particularly contagious if the results are believed.


This is a study that casts doubt on the infection of children with Covid-19, particularly the youngest. While currently considered low in contaminants, a scientific study published July 30 in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that children under the age of five are, by contrast, much more contagious than older children and adults.

The study found significant differences in the concentration of Sars-CoV-2 genetic material found in the nasopharyngeal ducts, depending on the age of the patient. Therefore, children under the age of five would have 10 to 100 times more genetic traces of the virus than older children or adults.

Here, the researchers, who work in Chicago (United States) conducted tests for Sars-CoV-2 in 145 patients, divided into three groups:

46 children under the age of five;

51 children from 5 to 17 years old;

and 48 adults from 18 to 65 years old.

All were tested between March 23 and April 27.

An equivalent amount of virus has been measured in children over the age of five and adults. In contrast, the youngest had far more virus particles than the other groups, suggesting greater contagion: the more genetic material from the virus is found in the nasopharyngeal ducts, the greater the contagion.

"The usual behaviors of young children and confined spaces in schools and daycare centers raise the question of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in this population as health measures become more flexible", the interested authors concluded. Those who add that vaccination of this age group could be crucial in the fight against the coronavirus, once a vaccine is available.

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