Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : February 6, 2021 10:02 AM IST
Image credits by: The immune system is immature – so the kids are susceptible to infections and infections by deadly bacteria or viruses – that can kill or cripple them – vaccines prevent that.
The COVID-19 pandemic does not discriminate between people and it affects almost everyone in the same manner. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been seen that the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are more likely to suffer severe infections and their rate of mortality is also much higher than the general population. But children have, by and large, not been very severely affected by the viral disease. Compared to other population groups, children who suffered from severe complications and symptoms of COVID-19 form a very small group. But those who are susceptible experience very severe symptoms and complications. Researchers are not very sure as to why some kids go on to experience severe disease.
But there is good news. Researchers from at the University of Missouri in the US say that children who receive a seasonal flu shot are less likely to suffer symptoms from a COVID-19 infection. The findings of the new study suggest that COVID-19 positive children who received the influenza vaccine in the current flu season had lower odds of experiencing symptoms, respiratory problems or severe disease. According to researchers, it is known that the growth of one virus can be inhibited by a previous viral infection. This phenomenon is called virus interference, and it can occur even when the first virus invader is an inactivated virus, such as the case with the flu vaccine.
For the study, published in the journal Cureus, the researchers reviewed records from 905 paediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 to determine each patient's influenza vaccination history. The team found that children with COVID-19 who received the pneumococcal vaccine also had lower odds of experiencing symptomatic disease. Research on the paediatric population is critical because children play a significant role in influencing viral transmission.
Understanding the relationship and co-existence of other viruses alongside COVID-19 and knowing the vaccination status of the paediatric patient may help in deploying the right strategies to get the best outcomes. According to researchers, it will also be important to explore the connection between vaccinations and COVID-19 symptoms in a larger geographical-multiracial study.
(With inputs from IANS)
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