淺談兒童新冠肺炎

Pediatric COVID-19 and Infection Control

自2019年12月起，SARS-CoV-2快速席捲全球，影響甚鉅。以全球的統計數據來看，兒童病人確診人數約佔全體人數15%。確診病童多以無症狀或輕症為主，重症比例約為0.7%。即便多屬輕症，兒童確診者仍具有相當的傳播力，因此受到特別重視。針對兒童的感染管制措施主要是「停課」及「兒童疫苗」，然而，這些措施對兒童的個人效益可能不大（因為重症率低），在外部效益（對社會的好處）與對兒童的個人壞處（例如停課造成停學、疫苗副作用）之間，如何平衡，將會是公共衛生的大難題。

"Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in late 2019 and has caused a pandemic of acute respiratory disease, known as''coronavirus disease 2019''(COVID-19). Children and adolescents account for 15% of all COVID-19 cases globally. Although the majority of pediatric patients have mild to moderate illness, they are still responsible for transmission. School closure and vaccination are the two main methods of infection control. However, the optimal means of striking a balance between the advantages and disadvantages of these methods remains unsolved."