Screening of SARS-CoV-2 in 299 Hospitalized Children with Hemato-oncological Diseases: A Multicenter Survey in Hubei, China

• Published in: Current medical science 2020-08, Vol.40 (4), p.642-645
• Main Authors: Wang, Song-mi, Tao, Fang, Hou, Yan, Zhang, Ai, Xiong, Hao, Sun, Jun-jie, Luo, Xiao-ping, Hao, Yan, Li, Jian-xin, Hu, Qun, Liu, Ai-guo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Betacoronavirus; Child; Child, Hospitalized; Child, Preschool; China - epidemiology; Clinical Laboratory Techniques - methods; Comorbidity; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hematologic Diseases - epidemiology; Humans; Infant; Infection Control; Male; Mass Screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Prevalence; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 2096-5230; 2523-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11596-020-2228-7

Summary The SARS-CoV-2 infection status of hospitalized children was surveyed in the department of pediatric hematology and oncology in three different hospitals of epidemic areas in Hubei, China. A cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the clinical characteristics, lung CT scan, SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test and serum antibodies of hospitalized children with hemato-oncological diseases from January 23 to April 24, 2020. 299 children were enrolled in this study, including 176 males (58.9%) and 123 females (41.1%), aged from 2 months to 16 years. 255 cases (85.3%) received chemotherapy or other immunosuppressive therapies, and there were 44 cases (14.7%) of other benign diseases. Nucleic acid test was performed on 258 children (86.3%) and one case was positive. 163 cases (54.5%) were tested for serum antibodies, and all of them were negative. Lung CT scan was performed on 247 children (82.6%), and 107 of them showed infectious changes. Only one case (0.33%) of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the group. The prevalence rate of COVID-19 in enrolled children with hemato-oncological diseases in Hubei was 0.33%. Immunosuppressed patients are not prone to produce related antibodies. Comprehensive protective measures and ward management can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the group patients.