At the beginning of COVID we hoped the disease would not affect children. After a while we learned it did, but their freshly-baked immune systems helped shrug off the symptoms. Now we have reached the stage we have started asking why children react differently to COVID again. We turned to trusted Mayo Clinic for advice.
Possibilities Why Children React Differently to COVID
Children still largely shrug off COVID symptoms, Mayo says. Some say this is because they have frequent colds that arm their immune systems. Curiously, the COVID symptoms that have appeared among kids are often similar to heavy colds.
But we have heard reports of a small number of kids developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome up to four weeks after their infection passed. Mayo Clinic adds an interesting spin to this and the theory works this way:
1… Some adults fall seriously ill from COVID, after their immune system seems to overreact causing more damage.
2… Perhaps, and this is the theory children’s immune systems don’t do that, allowing the virus to remain almost harmless.
Perhaps So, But How Does COVID Affect Babies?
Young children may react differently to COVID from adults, because they have fresh-baked immune systems primed by colds. However, babies may not have that advantage, because their immune systems are so-to-speak clean slates.
Perhaps this is why COVID affects some babies more severely. Having smaller airways also makes it harder for them to cope with respiratory symptoms. Mayo Clinic suggests young mothers with the infection or suspecting it, practice safe distancing and cover their faces and noses as best they can.
And finally, when a child becomes listless, and complains of muscle pain and headaches we should listen up. Children can also get Long COVID, have trouble concentrating, and get bad school grades. The pandemic is affecting people in so many ways, it’s hard to remember what life was like before it began.
Breaking News
US Kids Aged 5 to 11 Now Eligible for Vaccines
Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome
Preview Image: Children Play in a Fountain
