As the number of people with “triple positive” is increasing, what should we do if our baby is “positive”?

Author: Ge Yongtong Children's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University

Reviewer: Zhu Xueping, Chief Physician and Professor, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University

The beginning of autumn has arrived for some time, and the hot summer is gradually drifting away. At the time of the transition from summer to autumn, respiratory infections are gradually coming. Recently, more and more "big friends" have said that they have typical respiratory symptoms such as "fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and runny nose", and they have wondered if they are "triple positive". Indeed, it has been a while since the last peak of the new crown "two positives", and the number of "triple positives" is increasing. For babies, they have low immunity and poor resistance. It is particularly important for parents to protect and identify them.

With the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, the coronavirus pandemic has spread like wildfire around the world, deepening our understanding of coronaviruses. The novel coronavirus belongs to the Coronaviridae family, which can cause respiratory infections in mammals and birds. The symptoms of infection vary between animals and humans. In humans, novel coronavirus infection may be asymptomatic or accompanied by fever, cough, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal irritation. In some cases, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised people, coronavirus infection may cause severe pneumonia and even death.

Figure 1 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Coronaviruses are so named because they have crown-like spikes on their surface when observed under an electron microscope. Infection with the new coronavirus is an infectious disease that people are generally susceptible to. It has been reported that the spread of the new coronavirus has been determined to originate from bats, but it is usually transmitted to humans through other intermediate animals. Babies are more likely to be targeted by this "cunning ghost". Young babies are also susceptible to infection from their parents due to their own group vulnerability. If a family member is infected with the new coronavirus, the virus can attach to the hands, hair, clothes, toys, bottles and other surfaces of the parents. Therefore, even if parents wear masks 24 hours a day, it is very difficult to prevent babies from being infected.

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What symptoms will babies have when they are infected with the new coronavirus? This is probably the most concerning issue for parents. The symptoms of infection in young infants are somewhat different from those in adults. Young babies have not been vaccinated against the new coronavirus, and there is almost no incubation period after infection. Generally, adults develop symptoms within 2 to 4 days of infection, while infants can develop symptoms within 1 day. Even newborns may develop symptoms on the same day due to contact with the new coronavirus. Most adults have prodromal symptoms of sore throat in the early stages of infection, while young infants are mainly fever-prone in the early stages of infection, and some may have high fever or even convulsions; children are often accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea; newborns may also have atypical manifestations such as drowsiness, lack of appetite, refusal to feed, hoarseness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.

How should parents deal with their children when they show the above symptoms?

Don't panic if your baby is "positive", symptomatic treatment is the key. Most babies have no underlying diseases, and many have mild symptoms, mainly manifested by fever, which may be accompanied by respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny nose. If the mental response is good, the treatment is mainly to reduce fever and relieve nasal congestion. Symptomatic treatment can be achieved through physical cooling, oral medication and enhanced care. However, when the baby is less than 3 months old, especially when the newborn has the above atypical symptoms, it is necessary to be alert to the occurrence of critical diseases such as toxic encephalopathy and acute necrotizing encephalitis. Parents should not handle it on their own, but must pay attention to timely medical treatment and work together with medical staff to protect the baby's health.

Figure 3 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

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