Articles: pandemics.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
Case ReportsCase Report: Systemic Inflammatory Response and Fast Recovery in a Pediatric Patient With COVID-19.
We report a case of an 8-year-old girl who underwent a SARS-CoV-2 infection manifesting with atypical symptoms spearheaded by abdominal discomfort and systemic inflammation and partially mimicking hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), which however did not fulfill the HLH/MAS diagnostic criteria. In this case of what has since been described as Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally associated with SARS-COV-2 (PIMS-TS) we documented excellent clinical response to immunosuppression with systemic corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins. We show a detailed longitudinal development of neutrophil immunophenotype which suggests activation and engagement of neutrophils during PIMS-TS with compensatory contraction of the response and contra-regulation of neutrophil phenotype during recovery.
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The risk of infection and death from COVID-19 is higher among older prisoners with pre-existing health conditions especially in sub-Saharan African. Hawks L et al. raise four concerns that need to be considered when developing public health and clinical responses to COVID-19 to protect prisoners. ⋯ These focus areas include 1) challenges of social distancing; 2) higher risk of severe infection and death; 3) difficulties health care systems may face in the case of COVID-19 surge; and 4) recommended solutions to prevent harm and preventing a public health catastrophe. Prisoners are more vulnerable and the time to take immediate actions to minimize an imminent COVID-19 outbreak and its impacts is now.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 that was first identified in Wuhan, China 2019 and that led to a worldwide pandemia. In addition to typical respiratory signs (dry cough, shortness of breathing), some patients may develop gastrointestinal and hepatological complications including diarrhea or acute hepatitis, respectively. Due to the close contact to the patient's secretion, the gastroenterologists are at increased risk of getting the infection. ⋯ Endoscopy personnel should reduce exposure hazards by keeping a distance from the patient and using gloves, face masks, face shields and gowns. Taking into the consideration the fact that the virus proliferates in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, special attention should be given to handling with stool specimens. In patients obtaining FMT for recurrent C. difficile infection, recommended screening measures include donor's medical history and testing for SARS-CoV-2 presence in pharyngeal and stool specimens.
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With social distancing being a key preventative measure of COVID-19, proper provision of healthcare services becomes a challenge as healthcare professionals are concerned about the risk of potential infection. Telemedicine, a practice that uses telecommunication networks for the delivery of healthcare services and medical education, has been adopted by several countries and has shown to provide positive outcomes. This concept is poorly practiced in African Countries compared to other countries of the world. This paper reiterates the need for the expansion of telemedical systems in Africa for the dual goals of COVID-19 prevention and provision of quality healthcare services to people.
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SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease named COVID-19, which emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and developed into the current pandemic. The manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are highly variable. The worst outcomes are usually associated with advanced age and known risk factors. ⋯ During hospitalization she was simultaneously diagnosed with infection by HIV, COVID-19 and P. jirovecci. The patient evolved favorably upon empirical treatment without requiring invasive maneuvers or ventilatory support. Outpatient follow-up after hospital discharge was uneventful.