Covid-19: what is “seal cough”, this new symptom of Omicron in children?


A new symptom of the Omicron variant seems to have appeared, and children would be particularly affected. The “seal cough” is said to manifest as laryngitis causing sharp fits of coughing and wheezing, similar to the cry of the seal.

The Omicron variant would cause more laryngitis in children, and in particular boys under 2 years old.

These are the conclusions of doctors from the pediatric hospital in Boston, Massachusetts (USA), published in the American journal Pediatrics.

Since the start of the pandemic, doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have treated 75 children affected by these symptoms and positive for Covid-19; 81% of them would have been contaminated by the Omicron variant.

No reason to worry

While none of the infected children died, 12% of them were treated in hospital due to violent coughing following laryngitis (an inflammation of the larynx, the tube that connects the throat to the trachea).

For their part, the French doctors seem in any case to make the same observation on the appearance of laryngitis, common in children, in the event of contamination with Omicron.

“For about a month, we have seen more laryngitis in children aged 3 to 4 years old and when they are detected, they are positive”, confirms Raïssa Brulé-Pépin, pediatrician at the University Hospital of Amiens (Somme), at Parisian.

But the caregiver specifies that there is no need to worry: “these are not necessarily serious cases, we manage to treat them with corticosteroids.”

Flu or Covid?

On the other hand, it is difficult to prove, at this stage, that this symptom is more present in children than in adults.

In addition, the current multiplication of cases of laryngitis could also come from the flu, the current rebound of which is due to the relaxation of the French vis-à-vis barrier gestures.

Cortisone, adrenaline or fresh air, laryngitis can be treated easily. But they must be monitored: if you or your children are concerned, consider consulting your doctor as soon as possible.





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