Thursday, March 13
Berlin-Charité team discovers cause of severe Covid reaction in children
A team of scientists at Berlin-Charité research hospital have discovered a possible explanation for a rare but severe inflammatory reaction that can occur in children following a case of coronavirus. Apparently, the cause is a secondary virus that flares up in the affected children’s bodies as a result of the coronavirus infection – the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as mononucleosis.
The secondary virus remains latent in the body even after the coronavirus infection has been fought off but can flare up again due to a weakened immune system. The immune reaction that follows, known as paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS), can be life-threatening.
Of the 145 children with PIMS examined by the research team, about two-thirds had blood cells infected with EBV, and EBV-specific antibodies were found in 80 per cent of cases.
In most cases, the immune reaction occurred about four to eight weeks after the initial coronavirus infection. Symptoms included high fever, rash, and heart problems – and in around half of the cases, the children needed to be admitted to intensive care. The good news, however, is that the disease is easily treatable – and, once diagnosed, most children can expect a full recovery.
