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The Medical Center - University of Freiburg is looking for 500 children aged between one and ten with one parent each for a study on the spread of COVID-19 / The aim is to investigate how many children are infected or have formed antibodies after contact

What role do children play in the spread of the coronavirus? To answer this question, the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is conducting a multicenter study together with other university hospitals in Baden-Württemberg. Test subjects from around 2,000 households across the state will be included, 500 of them in Freiburg. One child aged between one and ten years and one parent are being sought as study participants. Interested parties can now find further information and a registration form on the website www.corona-kinderstudie.de. The scientists are using blood samples and throat swabs to investigate how many children and their parents are currently infected or have had demonstrable contact with the coronavirus. The study was initiated by Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and is funded by the state.

"This study is an excellent example of how closely politics and science are working together in the fight against the coronavirus. I am delighted at the speed with which the four university hospitals in Baden-Württemberg have taken up and implemented Minister President Winfried Kretschmann's initiative. This is impressive and shows the power of our university medicine," said Theresia Bauer, Minister of Science, Research and the Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg. "With all the restrictions on personal freedoms that we have to impose on the population, children are the ones most affected. We are depriving them of daycare, school and access to their friends. It is therefore extremely important to know more about whether the closures are even epidemiologically justified," said the Minister.

"There is increasing evidence that children are affected differently by coronavirus infection than adults. With our study, we want to help ensure that future decisions can take into account the special situation of children," says Prof. Dr. Philipp Henneke, Head of the Section for Pediatric Infectiology and Rheumatology at the Center for Pediatrics - University of Freiburg.

Differences due to living situation or type of care?

Among other things, the researchers expect to find out whether there are differences in the infection rate, to what extent children and their parents infect each other with the virus and to what extent the parents' living situation and occupation play a role in this. Particularly important is a possible difference in children who continue to have contact with other children in emergency care compared to children who live exclusively in the nuclear family. Planning, implementation and evaluation are carried out jointly at all study locations.

According to available data from various countries, severe cases of COVID-19 in children are rare. Previously published studies have shown that children with COVID-19 infection often have no symptoms such as cough, fever and diarrhea or that these symptoms are only mild. A recently published population-based study from Iceland reported that children under the age of ten were significantly less likely to be infected than adolescents and adults. However, there are also reports from China that children are infected at a similar rate but fall ill less frequently. The aim now is to find out what the situation is like in Baden-Württemberg.

How does participation in the study work?

Study participants from Baden-Württemberg will be included in the study. Child and parent must live in the same household. Participants will answer a questionnaire about their family, work and living situation, as well as their state of health and care in daycare centers, kindergartens and schools. A nasopharyngeal swab and a blood sample are taken from the child and accompanying parent at a specially equipped test center. If desired, the child can be given a plaster in advance to numb the skin at the site. The swabs are used to detect SARS-CoV-2 pathogens, while the blood samples are tested for antibodies against the virus. Participants will be informed of the results afterwards.

The tests have no influence on the health of the study participants and there is no follow-up. Overall, the study-related time required for the participants is around 30 minutes plus individual travel time.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Philipp Henneke
Head of the Section for Pediatric Infectiology and Rheumatology
Center for Pediatrics
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-77640
philipp.henneke@uniklinik-freiburg.de