Epidemiological link in children with diagnosis of COVID-19. Hospital General del Sur de Quito. 2020

Abstract

Introduction: Children with COVID-19 have shown a clear history of infected grouping at home and in their extended community, that is why it is very interesting to define and identify the epidemiological links evidenced in pediatric patients, from the point of view of disease prevention. Objective: To know the epidemiological links of pediatric patients between 1 month and 17 years old with positive result to the Reverse Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. Method: Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study, which included 54 children with confirmed infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, treated at the Pediatric Emergency of the General Hospital of the South of Quito during the months of April to June 2020. The data was obtained from the AS400 system. The analysis was performed with the SPSS statistical program; percentages were determined in the nominal variables. Results: 54 children were included, most of them adolescents from 10 to 14 years old (27,8%), the male sex predominated (55,6%). 79,65%, had contact with COVID-19 infected people. 53,50% had only one direct contact, while the rest had two or more contacts, 20,95% and 25,55% respectively. The epidemiological nexus for primary contagion corresponds to the mother (32,55%). Conclusion: The research showed that males, school-age children, and adolescents were the most affected by COVID-19. On the other hand, the first contact with sick people was a family member that mostly corresponded to one or both parents. It is not clear if any child developed the infection earlier than other family members.