According to a promising study, children who receive a seasonal flu shot are less likely to have symptoms of a COVID-19 infection.
- U.S.-based researchers examined a group of more than 900 children in Arkansas
- Half were vaccinated with seasonal flu and half had not been given it
- Data show that children who have received a flu attack are 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19
One study reveals that children who get the annual flu flu are less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19.
The researchers examined the medical records of 905 children who tested positive for Covid-19 when they entered the Arkansas Children’s Hospital System between February 1 and August 30, 2020. Approximately half had been administered. seasonal flu.
However, the data show that children who received a flu flu were 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19 after coronavirus infection.
The scientists found that those who were vaccinated against the flu also had a 32% reduced risk of developing respiratory symptoms and a 33% chance of developing serious illness.
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who led the study, believe that the flu can provide immune protection against Covid due to a biological phenomenon known as “viral interference.”
Data show that children who have had a flu attack are 29% less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19 if they are infected with the 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 virus invader is an inactivated virus, as is the case with the flu vaccine.
Nearly two-thirds of patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had no symptoms, but of those who did the majority (88%) were only mild cases.
Students vaccinated against the flu also found a 32% higher risk of developing respiratory symptoms, according to the study (stock)
Throughout the pandemic, children have been repeatedly unaffected by coronavirus infection, unlike adults.
They represent a minimal percentage of symptomatic cases and, even less, hospitalizations and deaths.
For example, only 32 of the 74,786 Covid-related deaths recorded in the NHS England in hospitals on 4 February 2021 were under the age of 19, around 4.2%.
Separate data from the National Statistics Office report that as of January 22, there were 103,394 Covid-19-related deaths, and only 11 of these were under the age of 14 – 1.35%.
However, the role of children as carriers of the virus remains relatively unknown, and experts debate whether they can harbor the virus and spread it while remaining asymptomatic.
“Research on the pediatric population is critical for children to play an important role in the influence of viral transmission,” Dr. Patwardhan said.
“Understanding the relationship and coexistence of other viruses alongside COVID-19 and knowing the vaccination status of the pediatric patient can help deploy appropriate strategies to achieve the best results.”
The research has been published in Cereus.