Scientists have found that “omicron”, in contrast to other strains, more successfully learned to suppress the production of interferons in the children’s body. This, in fact, explains the sudden increase in the incidence among minors.
For example, in Moscow over the past two weeks, a 14-fold increase in the number of infected children and adolescents has been recorded: from 2,000 to 28,000 cases. At the same time, the number of children’s hospitalizations increased tenfold – up to 120 per day. Previous pandemic experience has shown that children, compared with adults, showed a relatively high resistance to infection with coronavirus.
However, Omicron has managed to find a hole in children’s immune defenses. The new strain is more contagious. He is better able to cling to cell receptors. And children have become a suitable niche for the virus, experts say. Especially in light of the fact that many adults have already been ill or have been vaccinated.
Scientists from Germany have recently figured out the mechanism by which omicron infects the child’s body. To do this, they studied the effect of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 on the production of interferons. After all, it is these proteins that regulate the immune response to invading pathogens. They form the first line of defense. When an infection enters the body, an antiviral signaling chain is triggered. The release of cytokines begins. These include interferons. The body is actively involved in the fight against the virus. It should be noted that just the interferon response is extremely important in protecting children from infections. While in adults the main role is played by the production of antibodies.
Research results show how three variants of the coronavirus respond to different doses of interferon. The responses for the original strain of the coronavirus and the “delta” had steeper slopes on the graph. There was no significant difference between them. But the differences with the “omicron” are noticeable. This suggests that the new strain has acquired increased resistance to type 1 interferons. The main result of these changes is the rapid growth of infections among children.
Denis Protsenko, chief physician of the hospital in Kommunarka, believes that a striking feature of Omicron is the severe course of the disease in children. Now, approximately one in five patients treated in the hospital is a child. Due to the increase in the incidence among minors, additional children’s beds were deployed in Kommunarka.
“By affecting the upper respiratory tract, Omicron causes serious manifestations in children. Especially in young children, less than five years old. The disease occurs in the form of severe sore throat, in the form of croup with pronounced hoarseness, this may be a manifestation of bronchialitis, when small bronchioles, with swelling, with inflammatory changes,” explained Evgeny Timakov, pediatrician, infectious disease specialist, vaccinologist, head of the medical center.
As a rule, the disease is mild in children. However, experts note that quite often “omicron” leads to the development of croup syndrome. Against the background of infection, inflammation and swelling of the mucous membranes occur, and the airways narrow. The narrowing of the space of the larynx can be seen on x-rays of the soft tissues of the neck in a child. Croup syndrome is characterized by a barking, often spasmodic cough and hoarseness. The child often wakes up in the middle of the night and cannot cough for a long time.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has reported the emergence of yet another omicron subspecies in Africa. Even in laboratory conditions, it is difficult to distinguish it from the original version. Because of this feature, this strain is also called “hidden” or “stealth omicron”.
Scientists note that the coronavirus continues to mutate, adapting to external factors, for example, to human attempts to protect themselves from it.
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