MANILA, Philippines – Two newborn babies tested positive of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) at a children's hospital in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Both newborn babies are believed to be the youngest confirmed cases of the virus. These cases are sparking concerns on whether they were infected through a mother-to-fetus transmission in the womb or if the babies had only contracted the infection through close contact with their infected moms after they were born.
Not so common in children
According to the BBC, a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said the median age of patients for the current outbreak is between 49 and 56 years, with cases in children considered as “rare”.
SEE ALSO: Chinese whistleblower doctor dies from coronavirus
Aside from the two newborn babies who tested positive in Wuhan, very few others have been reported. There’s an 8-year-old child from Wuhan who is currently in Australia and another 6-month-old baby in Singapore who both tested positive for the 2019-nCov.
Baby being monitored in the Philippines
In the Philippines, there’s also a 7-month-old baby being monitored for the virus. The baby is among the seven persons under investigation (PUIs) in Eastern Visayas.
The child was brought to a private hospital for consultation after experiencing coughing and fever last January 29. The baby was admitted in isolation together with the mother and an aunt, both 26 years old.
According to the report on Manila Bulletin, the family traveled to Macau from December 23 to January 28 to visit a relative. They arrived in Tacloban City on January 29 and immediately went to the private hospital for consultation after exhibiting symptoms similar to the signs being monitored for 2019-nCov patients.
Samples have already been collected from the PUIs in the Philippines and sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) for testing.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
Both newborn babies are believed to be the youngest confirmed cases of the virus. These cases are sparking concerns on whether they were infected through a mother-to-fetus transmission in the womb or if the babies had only contracted the infection through close contact with their infected moms after they were born.
Not so common in children
According to the BBC, a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said the median age of patients for the current outbreak is between 49 and 56 years, with cases in children considered as “rare”.
SEE ALSO: Chinese whistleblower doctor dies from coronavirus
Aside from the two newborn babies who tested positive in Wuhan, very few others have been reported. There’s an 8-year-old child from Wuhan who is currently in Australia and another 6-month-old baby in Singapore who both tested positive for the 2019-nCov.
Baby being monitored in the Philippines
In the Philippines, there’s also a 7-month-old baby being monitored for the virus. The baby is among the seven persons under investigation (PUIs) in Eastern Visayas.
The child was brought to a private hospital for consultation after experiencing coughing and fever last January 29. The baby was admitted in isolation together with the mother and an aunt, both 26 years old.
According to the report on Manila Bulletin, the family traveled to Macau from December 23 to January 28 to visit a relative. They arrived in Tacloban City on January 29 and immediately went to the private hospital for consultation after exhibiting symptoms similar to the signs being monitored for 2019-nCov patients.
Samples have already been collected from the PUIs in the Philippines and sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) for testing.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
