COVID-19 in children: Clinical presentation and hospital course at a district hospital in South Africa

Mareli Nieuwoudt; Natasha L O'Connell; Marieke M van der Zalm; Andrew W Redfern; Helena Rabie

doi:10.4102/sajid.v39i1.580

COVID-19 in children: Clinical presentation and hospital course at a district hospital in South Africa

S Afr J Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 8;39(1):580. doi: 10.4102/sajid.v39i1.580. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Mareli Nieuwoudt¹, Natasha L O'Connell^{1

2}, Marieke M van der Zalm¹, Andrew W Redfern¹, Helena Rabie¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
² Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Khayelitsha Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract

Limited data exist on South African children hospitalised with COVID-19 in district hospitals. We describe the presentation and outcomes of children admitted to a level 1 and 2 hospital and compare this with children admitted to a level 2 and 3 hospital.

Contribution: This study highlights that young age is an important risk factor for hospitalisation with severe COVID-19. Infants with HIV exposure and prematurity are disproportionately represented among admissions. Furthermore, we notice a high number of children with current or new tuberculosis confirming the interplay between viral infections and childhood tuberculosis.

Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; LMICs; child; infant.

Grants and funding

K43 TW011028/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States