WHO issues case definition for Post COVID-19 condition in children

The World Health Organization has released a new clinical case definition for post COVID-19 condition or ‘long COVID’ in children and adolescents.

Children and adolescents are more likely to have few or no symptoms, or develop mild illness after being infected with COVID-19. As a result, the symptoms they experience in the post-acute period and their impact may differ.

Children with post COVID-19 condition are more likely to have fatigue, altered smell and anxiety than healthy children. For both adults and children, how long the symptoms last for (at least 2 months), and how soon after the initial infection they start (within 3 months) are common in the two definitions.

The new definition is based on the latest scientific data and was developed through an expert consensus process, including the involvement of patient advocates and clinicians. WHO used a consensus-seeking approach called a Delphi exercise, for which experts and patients responded to repeated surveys. This definition applies to children of all ages, with age-specific symptoms taken into consideration.

WHO initiated the process of developing a definition specific for children and adolescents because COVID-19 affects them differently from adults.