tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg
. 2022 Sep 15;trac088.
doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trac088. Online ahead of print.
Investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies among the paediatric population in Mogadishu, Somalia
Fartun Abdullahi H Orey[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ali Mohamed Sodal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jamal Hassan Mohamoud[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bashiru Garba[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Ifrah Hassan Mohamed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mohamed Hussein Adam[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hassan Abdullahi Dahie[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Maryan Abdullahi Sh Nur[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Najib Isse Dirie[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: We undertook this cross-sectional study to determine the level of circulating anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG) in children, as well as to evaluate other potential risk factors.
Methods: Children attending the outpatient department of the SOS and Benadir Hospitals in Mogadishu from 26 July to 8 August 2021 were selected following parental consent. The children (aged <18 y) were screened using the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapid test lateral flow immune-assay kit.
Results: Of the 500 children screened for COVID-19, 32 (6.4%) tested positive, out of which 26 (5.2%) had IgG antibodies, while five (1%) had IgM, with the other child (0.2%) having both circulating IgG and IgM antibodies. Also, 46.9% of the COVID-19-positive children were asymptomatic without any clinical signs of the disease. Children aged >6 y and those attending school were the most affected (p=0.002). The most common clinical features among positive children were fever (22.6%), cough (22.2%), shortness of breath (5.8%) and loss of smell (2.6%) and taste (2.2%). Similarly, not wearing a facemask as a preventive measure was found to be a significant risk factor (p=0.007).
Conclusions: This study shows that children are at risk of contracting COVID-19 infection. Our study also shows evidence of a high rate of IgG antibodies in school-aged children having close contact with infected adults, in those not wearing facemasks, as well as in those with a family history of comorbidities.
Keywords: COVID‐19; Somalia; comorbidity; paediatric infection; public health; sociodemographic factors.
. 2022 Sep 15;trac088.
doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trac088. Online ahead of print.
Investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies among the paediatric population in Mogadishu, Somalia
Fartun Abdullahi H Orey[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ali Mohamed Sodal[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jamal Hassan Mohamoud[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Bashiru Garba[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Ifrah Hassan Mohamed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Mohamed Hussein Adam[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hassan Abdullahi Dahie[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Maryan Abdullahi Sh Nur[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Najib Isse Dirie[SUP] 9 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36107977
- DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trac088
Abstract
Background: We undertook this cross-sectional study to determine the level of circulating anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG) in children, as well as to evaluate other potential risk factors.
Methods: Children attending the outpatient department of the SOS and Benadir Hospitals in Mogadishu from 26 July to 8 August 2021 were selected following parental consent. The children (aged <18 y) were screened using the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapid test lateral flow immune-assay kit.
Results: Of the 500 children screened for COVID-19, 32 (6.4%) tested positive, out of which 26 (5.2%) had IgG antibodies, while five (1%) had IgM, with the other child (0.2%) having both circulating IgG and IgM antibodies. Also, 46.9% of the COVID-19-positive children were asymptomatic without any clinical signs of the disease. Children aged >6 y and those attending school were the most affected (p=0.002). The most common clinical features among positive children were fever (22.6%), cough (22.2%), shortness of breath (5.8%) and loss of smell (2.6%) and taste (2.2%). Similarly, not wearing a facemask as a preventive measure was found to be a significant risk factor (p=0.007).
Conclusions: This study shows that children are at risk of contracting COVID-19 infection. Our study also shows evidence of a high rate of IgG antibodies in school-aged children having close contact with infected adults, in those not wearing facemasks, as well as in those with a family history of comorbidities.
Keywords: COVID‐19; Somalia; comorbidity; paediatric infection; public health; sociodemographic factors.