The increase of infections from streptococcus in the children smallest that occurred in 2023 would be due to anti-Covid measures. A study reveals the possible connection between reducing the use of masks and social distancing, as cases grow; however, it would be precisely the enhanced protection observed during the pandemic to compromise children’s immunity, drastically reducing contact with the bacterium.
Anti-Covid masks out, boom in streptococcal infections
With the Covid-19 emergency now over, protection measures such as masks And distancing social were loosened, and this may have paved the way for the infections from streptococcus in the children.
The study in question was conducted by the Pediatrics and Microbiology departments of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS and by the Catholic University, based on data collected between 2018 and 2023, and published in Lancet Microbe.
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The study data shows a resurgence of infections, with 13-16% of the samples examined testing positive for strep. This is an incidence rate that is very similar to the levels recorded before the pandemic.
The masks would have prevented the production of antibodies in children
During the pandemic years, from 2020 to 2022, a decrease from the infections from streptococcusboth in terms of number of samples analyzed and percentage of positivity, as explained by Maurizio Sanguinetti, coordinator of the study together with Antonio Chiaretti.
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“The bacterium has raised its guard, especially affecting the youngest, between 3 and 6 years old” explained Sanguinetti, all due to the lack of protections such as masks and social distancing.
It is therefore suspected that the little ones, having been significantly protected during the pandemic, did not come into sufficient contact with the pathogen and therefore did not develop normal immunity that was partially effective against the infection.
“Contact with microorganisms is essential for training the immune system to respond to infections” clarified Sanguinetti, speaking of a sort of “debt immunological” in children.
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The importance of the throat-tonsillar swab
In addition to giving an explanation to the boom in cases, the study also found that if a child manifests symptoms clear such as high fever, swelling and inflammation of the tonsils, it is not prudent to rely solely on the rapid tests purchased over the counter at a pharmacy.
Experts argue that only a throat-tonsillar swab performed in the laboratory, followed by a culture test (and, possibly, an in vitro drug sensitivity test, known as an antibiogram), allows the microorganism to be accurately identified
This approach has both diagnostic and epidemiological implications, allowing us to evaluate the possible spread of particularly virulent strains.
Photo source: IPA
