KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 – A group of asymptomatic carriers thought to be largely hidden from view are children.
Children are among those who are least sick due to infection with the coronavirus. They were found to not exhibit the kinds of intense symptoms seen in adults.
However, children positive with the virus pose a particular risk to those closest to them, said Dr. Faheem Younus, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, to HuffPost.
“The longer the duration, the closer the contact, the lower the host’s immunity, the higher the risk of catching the infection,” he said.
Parents, and those often around children such as grandparents, would also typically have underlying health problems making them more vulnerable to infection.
A study found that 56 percent of 700 children infected with the virus in China had mild, if any, symptoms.
“The fact that children may get infected but not show symptoms poses a risk to pediatricians,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, an ex-director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In an effort to protect the older population, particularly grandparents, from children, measures are being undertaken to create a distance between the two.
As a result the forced distancing between children and grandparents, besides having an emotional impact, has also had a significant effect on families depending on the latter for child-care suppport.
