SARS cases up among children in Brazil, COVID-19 still predominant

The surge in the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among children has drawn the attention of scientists from Brazil’s research foundation Fiocruz, as can be seen in the latest InfoGripe report, released Wednesday (Aug 17). Contrary to the national rates for other age groups, which are on the wane, contamination among children is rising.

Despite the overall decline or stabilization, the recent increase among children aged up to 11 in several states in the Northeast, Southeast, South, and Central-West raises a warning sign, the foundation notes.

“Proportionally, this growth is even sharper among kids aged five through 11. As the survey is restricted to the last few weeks, we are still unable to clearly identify the virus responsible for this surge, although Sars-CoV-2 (COVID-19) continues to be predominant across all age groups,” said Research Coordinator Marcelo Gomes.

In other age groups, the document shows a level of SARS cases similar to the one seen in April—the lowest since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil. The study, which focuses on epidemiological week 32 (August 7–13), is based on data from epidemiological database SIVEP-Gripe up to August 15.