Children who are given a seasonal flu are less likely to suffer from symptoms due to COVID-19 infection, a promising study finds
- Researchers in the United States analyzed a group of more than 900 children in Arkansas
- Half were vaccinated with seasonal flu and half were not given it
- Data show that children given the flu are 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19.
One study shows that children who get the flu every year are less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19.
The researchers looked at the medical records of 905 children who tested positive for Covid-19 when they were admitted to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital system between February 1 and August 30, 2020. About half received the seasonal flu vaccine.
However, the data show that children who received the flu were 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19 after coronavirus infection.
Those who were vaccinated for the flu also proved to have a 32% reduced risk of developing respiratory symptoms and a 33% decrease in their chances of developing severe disease, the scientists found.
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who led the study, believe that the flu may provide immune protection against Covid due to a biological phenomenon known as “viral interference.”
Data show that children who have been given the flu are 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19 if they are infected with coronavirus (stock)
“It is known that the growth of a virus can be inhibited by a previous viral infection,” explains Dr. Anjali Patwardhan, co-author of the study.
‘[Virus interference] it can occur even when the first invasive virus is an inactivated virus, such as the flu vaccine. ‘
Almost two-thirds of patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 showed no symptoms, but of those who did the majority (88%) were only mild cases.
Those who have been vaccinated for the flu have also been shown to have a 32% reduced risk of developing respiratory symptoms, the study shows (stock)
During the pandemic, it was repeatedly found that children are not largely affected by coronavirus infection, unlike adults.
These represent a small percentage of symptomatic cases and even fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
For example, only 32 of the 74,786 Covid-related deaths in NHS England hospitals on 4 February 2021 were under the age of 19, or around 4.2 per cent.
Data separate from data from the Office for National Statistics report that since January 22, there have been 103,394 deaths involving Covid-19 and only 11 of them have occurred in people under 14 – 1.35 percent.
However, the role of children as carriers of the virus remains relatively unknown, with experts debating whether they can harbor the virus and spread it, remaining asymptomatic.
“Research on the pediatric population is critical because children play a significant role in influencing viral transmission,” said Dr. Patwardhan.
“Understanding the relationship and coexistence of other viruses with COVID-19 and knowing the vaccination status of the pediatric patient can help implement the right strategies to get the best results.”
The research was published in Cereus.