tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Infect Chemother
. 2022 Dec 2;S1341-321X(22)00320-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiac.2022.11.013. Online ahead of print.
Nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from infected symptomatic children to uninfected caregivers: A retrospective cohort study in a Japanese tertiary children's hospital
Akihiko Shimizu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sachiko Kitazume[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: The transmission rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear when caregivers accompany pediatric COVID-19 patients in the same isolation room in a hospital setting.
Aim: We investigated SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected children to caregivers at our hospital.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 34 discordant pairs of patients admitted between September 2020 and April 2022.
Findings: The median ages of the children and caregivers were 3.7 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.6-8.1) and 33.1 years (IQR: 28.3-43.4), respectively. Of the 34 caregivers, 31 were mothers, two were fathers, and one was a relative. Sixteen caregivers received at least two doses of the mRNA vaccine. The mean duration of the hospital stays was 7.7 ± 4.1 days (range: 3-19). Two unvaccinated caregivers developed COVID-19 after admission; the onset was within 48 hours after admission. It is likely that they had been infected in their household prior to admission, since the incubation period for COVID-19 is usually >2 days.
Conclusions: Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected children to caregivers was not confirmed in this study. The combination of negative-pressure rooms, vaccinations, and infection-control bundles appears to be effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission. It is acceptable to allow caregivers to accompany pediatric COVID-19 patients in a hospital ward if they can comply with basic infection control measures.
Keywords: COVID-19; Caregivers; Nosocomial transmission; Pediatric; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2022 Dec 2;S1341-321X(22)00320-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiac.2022.11.013. Online ahead of print.
Nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from infected symptomatic children to uninfected caregivers: A retrospective cohort study in a Japanese tertiary children's hospital
Akihiko Shimizu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sachiko Kitazume[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36470374
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2022.11.013
Abstract
Background: The transmission rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear when caregivers accompany pediatric COVID-19 patients in the same isolation room in a hospital setting.
Aim: We investigated SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected children to caregivers at our hospital.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 34 discordant pairs of patients admitted between September 2020 and April 2022.
Findings: The median ages of the children and caregivers were 3.7 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.6-8.1) and 33.1 years (IQR: 28.3-43.4), respectively. Of the 34 caregivers, 31 were mothers, two were fathers, and one was a relative. Sixteen caregivers received at least two doses of the mRNA vaccine. The mean duration of the hospital stays was 7.7 ± 4.1 days (range: 3-19). Two unvaccinated caregivers developed COVID-19 after admission; the onset was within 48 hours after admission. It is likely that they had been infected in their household prior to admission, since the incubation period for COVID-19 is usually >2 days.
Conclusions: Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected children to caregivers was not confirmed in this study. The combination of negative-pressure rooms, vaccinations, and infection-control bundles appears to be effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission. It is acceptable to allow caregivers to accompany pediatric COVID-19 patients in a hospital ward if they can comply with basic infection control measures.
Keywords: COVID-19; Caregivers; Nosocomial transmission; Pediatric; SARS-CoV-2.