The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Parents should not be careless when children are infected with Covid-19 without showing any symptoms
- The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Do not be careless when children are infected with Covid-19 without showing any symptoms
- The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: What is the information that doctors should know for clinical diagnosis of post-COVID-19 conditions in children?
- The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Do parents need to be careful if a child has a fever within 2 to 6 weeks after contracting Covid-19?
- The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Are shortness of breath or SpO2 < 95% a sign of danger and need for emergency?
The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Do not be careless when children are infected with Covid-19 without showing any symptoms
Pursuant to Section I of the Guidelines issued together with Decision 1856/QD-BYT in 2022 of the Ministry of Health, there are guidelines on the symptoms of children when infected with Covid-19 as follows:
“I. OUTLINE
Most children infected with SARS-CoV-2 will show no symptoms or mild symptoms.
- After recovering, some children develop post-COVID-19 conditions, which in this guide is referred to as post-COVID-19 conditions in children.
- According to the US Centers for Disease Control 2021: post-COVID-19 conditions appear 4 weeks after a child has recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and these symptoms are not explained by any other diagnosis.
- Post-COVID-19 conditions with unknown pathogenesis:
+ Respiratory symptoms are the most common.
+ Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is uncommon but requires emergency admission.
- The following risk factors for COVID-19 infection in children:
+ Overweight and obese children
+ Children aged over 6
+ Gender: female
+ Have underlying disease, chronic disease
+ Have allergies, asthma, atopic
+ Prior treatment included mechanical ventilation, shock resuscitation, dialysis, ECMO, hospitalization in the emergency department.
+ Unvaccinated against COVID-19
+ Severe COVID-19
+ Prolonged hospital stay”
Accordingly, most children infected with Covid-19 will not show any symptoms or only have mild symptoms. However, after 2 to 4 weeks of Covid-19 infection, children will develop the following post-COVID-19 conditions. These symptoms are still unexplained by any other diagnosis.
The symptoms that children often experience after recovering from Covid-19 will be respiratory symptoms, MIS-C and if severe, children shall need emergency care.
Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Parents should not be careless when children are infected with Covid-19 without showing any symptoms
The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: What is the information that doctors should know for clinical diagnosis of post-COVID-19 conditions in children?
Pursuant to subsection 2.1, Section II of the Guidelines issued together with Decision 1856/QD-BYT in 2022 of the Ministry of Health, there are guidelines related to clinical diagnosis for post-COVID-19 conditions in children as follows:
“II. DIAGNOSE
2.1. Diagnostic work
a) Ask the patient
- Evidence of previous acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (suspected or confirmed) according to Ministry of Health guidelines based on:
+ Documents related to COVID-19 provided by medical staff
+ PCR results (+) with SARS-CoV-2
+ The rapid test result of SARS-CoV-2 is positive
+ Test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibody (if not vaccinated) or anti-Nucleocapsid antibody (if vaccinated)
+ Have close contact with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2
- Severity of symptoms during the exacerbation.
- Time of onset and duration of symptoms from the onset of the acute COVID-19 episode.
- Background disease, chronic.
- Allergies, asthma, drug allergies.
- Medicines being treated.
- Severity of post-COVID-19 symptoms and impact on the patient's quality of life.
Accordingly, when doctors conduct medical inquiries on children after being infected with Covid-19, they must pay attention to the above-mentioned contents and information.
The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Do parents need to be careful if a child has a fever within 2 to 6 weeks after contracting Covid-19?
Pursuant to subsection 2.1, Section II of the Guidelines issued together with Decision 1856/QD-BYT in 2022 of the Ministry of Health, there are guidelines on the symptoms that appear when children have multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children ( MIS-C) as follows:
“2.1. Diagnostic work
a) Ask the patient
…
* Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
About 2-6 weeks after contracting COVID-19:
1. Fever
AND
2. There is an increase in inflammatory indicators (CRP ≥ 5 mg/L, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, procalcitonin)
AND
3. Injury to ≥ 2 organs (mucosal, digestive, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, hematological, neurological)
See Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in children of the Ministry of Health in 2022 (Promulgated in Decision No. 405/QD-BYT dated February 22, 2022)”
Accordingly, if a child has a fever for 2 to 6 weeks after being infected with Covid-19, there is a high chance that the child has acquired Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). In addition, this syndrome has a number of other symptoms according to the content of the guidelines mentioned above.
Parents need to pay attention to the health status of their children to take the most timely and safest measures.
The Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Are shortness of breath or SpO2 < 95% a sign of danger and need for emergency?
Pursuant to subsection 2.1, Section 2 of the Guidelines issued together with Decision 1856/QD-BYT in 2022 of the Ministry of Health, there are guidelines in conducting clinical examination for children after contracting Covid-19 as follows: after:
“II. DIAGNOSE
2.1. Diagnostic work
…
b) Clinical examination
- Vital signs: Temperature, breathing rate, pulse, blood pressure, SpO2
- Look for danger signs, emergency:
Shortness of breath or SpO2 < 95%.
+ Shock.
+ Chest pain in front of the heart.
+ Arrhythmia.
Consciousness disturbances, convulsions.
- Multi-organ inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
- Level of consciousness: assessed according to A (awake), V (speech response), P (responsive to painful stimuli), U (coma).
- Ear, nose and throat.
- Eyes: conjunctiva of the eye.
- Respiratory:
+ Shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest indrawing.
+ Pulmonary rales, lung sounds.
- Cardiovascular: auscultation, arrhythmia.
- Digestive: examine abdomen for pain, distention, ascites, liver and spleen size.
- Musculoskeletal: rash, pain, arthritis, muscle strength, muscle tone.
- Skin, hair and nails: erythema on the face, back, chest, abdomen, peeling skin of fingers and toes, hair loss.
- Other: red lips, tongue, cervical lymph nodes.
- Nutrition: assessment of nutritional status, BMI."
Accordingly, when conducting clinical examination for children after being infected with Covid-19, it is necessary to pay attention to the above-mentioned guidelines. If it is found that the child has difficulty breathing or the SpO2 index is less than 95%, this is a dangerous sign and needs emergency treatment.
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