International webinar shares expertise in treating children suffering coronavirus

Most children with coronavirus became infected after adult family members fell ill, Zeng Mei, chief of the infectious diseases department at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, said during the first webinar for the medical care of children with the disease.

The average incubation period in children is 6.5 days, compared with 5.4 days for adults, Zeng added.

The webinar, "Global Online Sharing on Fighting COVID-19 from Pediatricians' Perspective," was held by the Platform of Child Health Initiative, a local platform on children's health management during the coronavirus pandemic, and a foundation of Shanghai-based conglomerate Fosun.

Pediatricians with the Children's Hospital of Fudan University shared their experiences with hospitals in the United States, Portugal, India and Africa, focusing on the prevention and treatment of coronavirus  in children.

The level of coronavirus in children is mostly light or moderate, rather than critical, Zeng said.

According to Zeng, the Children's Hospital of Fudan University is the only designated hospital in Shanghai to receive child coronavirus patients, and has worked out its own plan on how to treat these children.

As no specific antiviral drugs targeting coronavirus have been developed, the hospital doesn't apply antiviral drugs to non-critical cases. Instead doctors give expectant management, which is "watchful waiting", observing closely changes and giving timely treatment.

At the webinar, local experts shared their latest research findings, practices for curbing the spread of the disease, the effect of drugs on the treatment of child patients as well as therapies. They also answered questions from overseas medical experts and discussed issues.

Isabel Vaz, CEO of Portugal-based healthcare group Luz Saúde, introduced the group's work fighting the disease as well as experience serving as a designated medical institution to treat the pandemic.

"Through this online live connection with overseas medical experts, we hope that we can work together to protect the health of children in every corner of the world," said Xu Hong, Party secretary of the Children's Hospital of Fudan University.

Yao Fang, a co-chairman of Fosun Pharma and the chairman of Fosun Healthcare, said Fosun had become an important private medical force at the forefront of combating the coronavirus. 

They hope they can provide support to medics in different countries fighting the virus through such sharing.