Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

COVID-19 outbreak in children with cancer in a tertiary care center of a developing country
  • +3
  • Abdul M,
  • Prasanth Siri,
  • Debasish Sahoo,
  • Jagdish Meena,
  • Aditya Gupta,
  • Rachna Seth
Abdul M
All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Prasanth Siri
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Author Profile
Debasish Sahoo
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Author Profile
Jagdish Meena
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Author Profile
Aditya Gupta
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Author Profile
Rachna Seth
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Author Profile

Abstract

Data on the prevalence and outcomes of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in children with cancer is limited, more so from developing countries. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, severity and outcome of COVID-19 in pediatric oncology patients by implementing a screening and testing plan. Among 104 children tested, the rate of COVID-19 positivity was 15% and 3% in symptomatic and asymptomatic respectively. Majority had mild illness with uneventful recovery, whereas neutropenia increased the risk of serious illness. Prolonged virus shedding with a median time to negativity of 21 days was observed.