Thirty-seven percent of children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 had neurological symptoms, a study conducted by National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) found.
Two of them had a stroke after developing encephalitis, the hospital told a news conference on Friday morning to promote COVID-19 vaccinations for children.
NTUH Department of Pediatrics director Lee Wang-tso (李旺祚) said the hospital worked with more than a dozen other hospitals to established a reporting system for people aged 18 or younger who were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Photo courtesy of the National Taiwan University Hospital via CNA
Among the 1,163 cases in its database, 404 were hospitalized, 148 of whom, or 37 percent, exhibited neurological symptoms, including 13 cases, or 9 percent, with suspected or confirmed encephalitis, he said.
Of the 13 juvenile cases, two had a stroke, Lee said, adding that they recovered after treatment.
One of them is a 12-year-old boy who developed weakness in the right leg and a fever after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, Lee said, adding that pathological changes were found in his blood vessels, the left side of his brain and his right frontal lobe.
The boy’s limb weakness improved after treatment, he said.
The other case is an eight-year-old boy, who developed a fever, convulsions and abnormal liver function after being diagnosed with COVID-19, he said.
The child developed inflamation and local ischemia, and pathological changes were found in his blood vessels, Lee said.
The boy recovered after receiving intravenous immunoglobulin and remdesivir, and was discharged from hospital, he added.
Lee said the data showed that the risk children infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 develop encephalitis or encephalitis-like symptoms is nearly 10 times higher than for children infected with the initial variants of the virus.
Although children who have the disease rarely have a stroke, pathological changes in their blood vessels pose an increased risk that should not be neglected.
Nearly half of the cases examined using magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed cerebral vascular changes, Lee said.
Children are also at risk of developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after recovering from acute COVID-19, he said, adding that this risk should not be neglected either.
Department deputy director Chang Luan-yin (張鑾英) said that most of the cases in the database were unvaccinated.
However, as the vaccination rate among children aged five to 11 has increased, fewer cases have been reported, Chang added.
National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital superintendent Huang Li-min (黃立民) said that vaccination is the most important way to prevent severe COVID-19 complications and MIS-C, so the hospital encourages parents to bring their children to get vaccinated as early as possible.
Additional reporting by CNA
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS