Coronavirus and SCN8A

There is still much that scientists and doctors don’t know about the new coronavirus and the illness it causes. With three months of data there are now some emerging trends. The elderly are more likely to fall into the high-risk category, while children don’t appear to get as sick. Indeed, very few children are known to have developed the disease. Researchers are still trying to figure out why this is the case. The big unknown for us is how at risk our children are, as well as other children with chronic conditions.

We can assume that if a child has compromising comorbidities, especially involving respiratory challenges or those resulting in immunosuppression as a result of their disease or the medication that they are taking, then we must take extra precautions in preventing them from being exposed. This is not new information for us as the same is true for any virus, whether it causes a simple cold or a more serious flu. Because many of us also have healthy children that are out and about, we need to consider the health and risks for our whole family. Here are some links that may be helpful as reminders and that may provide answers to questions about the coronavirus outbreak.

In general, healthy family members should engage in usual preventive actions to avoid infection, including cleaning hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoiding people who are sick, and staying up to date on vaccinations, including influenza vaccine.

Additional Key points:

• Stock up on medications and supplies.
• Stay close to home and keep space between your child and others.
• If you need to go out in public, avoid crowds and keep away from others who are sick.
• Monitor the health of all caregivers and ask if they know others who are sick.
• Isolate any family members with symptoms.
• If there is an outbreak in your community, stay home as much as possible.

Further Reading:

• Concerns About Coronavirus
• People at Risk for Serious Illness from COVID-19
• As coronavirus spreads, many questions and some answers
• Shareable Science: COVID-19 Q&A Session
• Are patients with epilepsy at increased risk of COVID-19 infection?