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. 2021 Oct 26:9:745364.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.745364. eCollection 2021.

Educational Setting and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome: A French National Surveillance System

Celia Guenver  1   2 , Mehdi Oualha  3 , Corinne Levy  4   5 , Denise Antona  6 , Fouad Madhi  7 , Julie Toubiana  8   9 , Noémie Lachaume  10 , Etienne Javouhey  11   12 , Mathie Lorrot  13 , David Dawei Yang  14 , Michael Levy  15 , Marion Caseris  1 , Caroline Galeotti  16 , Caroline Ovaert  17   18 , Arnaud Wiedemann  19   20 , Marie-Laure Girardin  21 , Alexis Rybak  22 , Robert Cohen  4   5 , Alexandre Belot  23 , François Angoulvant  1   24 , Naïm Ouldali  1   5   25
Affiliations

Educational Setting and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome: A French National Surveillance System

Celia Guenver et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is the most severe form associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. To reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at the population level, educational setting closure have been implemented in many countries. However, the direct benefit of school closure on the MIS-C burden remains to be explored. We aimed to assess the role of educational settings in SARS-CoV-2 transmission among children with MIS-C. Methods: We conducted a French national prospective surveillance of MIS-C, coordinated by Public Health France, from April 2020 to March 2021. During this period, we included all children with MIS-C fulfilling the WHO definition who were reported to Public Health France. For each child, we traced the source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The main outcome was the proportion of children with MIS-C, with educational setting-related SARS-CoV-2 infection, during the period of school opening. Results: We included 142 children fulfilling WHO criteria for MIS-C: 104 (70%) cases occurred during school opening periods. In total, 62/104 children (60%, 95%CI [50; 69]) had been contaminated by a household contact and 5/104 in educational settings (5%, 95%CI [2; 11]). Among children with MIS-C occurring during school closure periods, the proportion of household transmission remained similar (66%, 25/38). Conclusion: Children with MIS-C were mainly infected by SARS-CoV-2 within their family environment, and the educational setting played a marginal role in this transmission. This suggests that mitigating school attendance may not reduce substantially the burden of MIS-C.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; educational setting; multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C); pediatrics-children; school.

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Conflict of interest statement

EJ reported receiving grants from CSL Behring. CL reported receiving grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Sanofi and personal fees from Pfizer and Merck. RC reported receiving personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Merck Sharp & Dohme. NO report travel grants from GSK, Pfizer and Sanofi, outside the submitted work. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study participants. MIS-C, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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