Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The Ministry of Health has issued new guidelines on thediagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in children, especially children under 12months who are at high risk of severe disease. 

Thenumber of children infected with COVID-19 has tended to increase recently.

Thenew guidance has replaced the one issued on November 8, 2021.

Underthe new guidance, the ministry has changed the instructions on confirmed casesof children with COVID-19.

Achild identified as a COVID-19 patient has tested positive forSARS-CoV-2 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test; has beenin close contact with a COVID-19 case and has a positive rapid test result forSARS-CoV-2; a child who has epidemiological factors or clinical symptomssuspected of being COVID-19 and a positive rapid test result of SARS-CoV-2; ora child with epidemiological factors and test results positive forSARS-CoV-2 twice within eight hours.

Inthe previous guidance, confirmed cases are defined as all cases with suspectedsymptoms and a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR.

Alsofollowing the new guidance, the ministry has added the level of asymptomatic inchildren with COVID-19. Thus, there are five levels of asymptomatic, mild,moderate, severe and critical levels in children with COVID-19.

Thenew guidance also regulates treatment with the antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat children with mildcases of COVID-19.

Accordingly, Remdesivir is indicated for thetreatment of mild inpatients with at least one risk factor, or patients withrespiratory failure requiring oxygen, continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP), high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) or non-invasive ventilation. In theprevious guidance, it did not regulate the use of the drug to treat childrenwith mild symptoms.

Theministry also said that children with COVID-19, who have mild risk factors,need to be considered for treatment at a medical facility.

Thereare 14 risk factors that could cause severe illness for a child with COVID-19,consisting of premature babies and low birth weight; obesity and overweight;diabetes, genetic diseases and metabolic disorders; chronic lung diseases andbronchial asthma; cancer; chronic kidney disease; organ transplant orhaematopoietic stem cell transplant;  cardiovascular disease; neurologicaldiseases; sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, other chronic haematologicaldiseases; congenital or acquired immunodeficiency diseases; liver failure; systemicdiseases; and children treated with corticosteroids or otherimmunosuppressive drugs.

Accordingto the ministry, SARS-CoV-2 causes illness in both adults and children but itis less common in children.

However,recently, the number of children infected with COVID-19 has been increasing.The majority of children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or mild with upperrespiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms (over 55 percent), moderate (40 perent),severe (4 percent) and critical (0.5 percent).

Infantsunder 12 months are at high risk for severe illness. Children with COVID-19usually have mild symptoms, so hospitalisation and death rates are low comparedto adults.

Multisysteminflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) with COVID-19 is rare, occurringbetween two and six weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is a seriouscomplication that can be fatal and tends to increase, the ministry said./.