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New disease
Case report
Case of COVID-19 in a 5-week-old baby
  1. Rachael Fleming1,2,
  2. Rosemary Grattan1 and
  3. Kristyna Bohmova1
  1. 1Paediatrics, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK
  2. 2Paediatrics, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Rachael Fleming; rachael.fleming{at}doctors.org.uk

Abstract

On 31 December 2019, the first case of COVID-19, was reported in Wuhan. A public health emergency of international concern was declared on 30 January 2020 and the first case in Scotland, on 2 March. The effect of COVID-19 appears to be less in the paediatric population and there are fewer cases reported in the literature in comparison to the adult population. Here, we report a case of a previously well 5-week-old infant who presented with fever and increased sleepiness. There was no known contact with any unwell individuals. COVID-19 was identified through a septic screen work up. The infant’s course was uneventful and she has made a full recovery. This case highlights the need to have a low index of suspicion in the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the need to be vigilant in use of personal protective equipment, even in paediatric patients with subtle symptoms.

  • paediatrics
  • public health
  • infectious diseases

This article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ’s website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained.

https://bmj.com/coronavirus/usage

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2020-236330

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors RF wrote the initial and revised manuscript. Manuscript review and editing by KB and RG.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Parental/guardian consent obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.