For the most part, in Texas, things have gone back to somewhat normal. Most individuals have returned to an office setting and the majority of businesses are operating normally and have resumed regular business hours. Additionally, kids have returned to the classroom which, for parents, has been a bit stressful with the Delta variant proving to be a threat to children. It’s a difficult time to navigate, but there is some good news. There is now a treatment called monoclonal antibody therapy that could significantly reduce the severity of COVID symptoms in children and adolescents, giving your child a chance at a quicker recovery and helping prevent a trip to the hospital.
What is Monoclonal Antibody Therapy?
Monoclonal antibody therapy is a new pediatric COVID treatment that relies on monoclonal antibodies which are antibodies that are produced in a laboratory, developed to mimic your own antibodies that your body would produce naturally in response to an infection. If you’ve recently had a friend or family recover from COVID-19 via an antibody infusion, monoclonal antibody therapy is the procedure they underwent. This therapy is not just for adults. The FDA has recently approved monoclonal antibody therapy as a pediatric COVID treatment for high-risk children.
What Classifies a Child as High-Risk?
High-risk children are similar to high-risk adults. Children with diabetes, asthma, who are obese, have immunosuppression or suffer from other chronic diseases all run the risk of becoming incredibly sick after becoming infected with COVID-19 . Underlying issues that may or may not have been previously detected were the primary reason for the hospitalization of children ages 12 and up.
The American Academy of Pediatrics goes further, detailing the criteria that high-risk children meet which includes neurodevelopmental disorders, sickle cell disease, congenital or acquired heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, to name a few.
There’s a myth that children cannot be affected by the virus but, unfortunately, that’s not the case. Children can easily contract the virus via their interactions with other kids. Children are highly susceptible to the virus thus the development of pediatric COVID treatment. Vaccination in high-risk children is incredibly important. And should they become ill, monoclonal antibody therapy could potentially save their life.
What You Should Know About Monoclonal Antibody Therapy
Monoclonal antibody therapy is available as a pediatric COVID treatment for high-risk children ages 12 and up. While monoclonal antibody therapy has a successful treatment rate, it’s still extremely important that you have your high-risk children vaccinated for COVID as the vaccine will lessen the severity of the illness. Should your high-risk child qualify for monoclonal antibody therapy, it should be administered within 10 days of testing positive for COVID.
Additionally, the FDA has authorized emergency use of monoclonal antibody therapy for patients 12 and up who are high-risk for severe COVID. The sooner this pediatric COVID treatment can be administered, the better impact it will have.
Has Your High-Risk Child Been Exposed to COVID-19?
If your child has been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, our pediatricians at Parsi Pediatrics suggest having your child tested. If their results are negative, we recommend vaccinating your child, particularly if they are categorized as high-risk. If their results are positive and your child suffers from any of the afflictions listed above, we suggest inquiring with your physician about monoclonal antibody therapy as a pediatric COVID treatment as it could just save their life. If you would like more information on monoclonal antibody therapy or would like to discuss the issues that affect your high-risk children, contact us at 210.561.1551 to schedule a consultation https://www.parsipediatrics.com/location/. We’ll evaluate your child and provide you with proper care information as well as more information on this innovative pediatric COVID treatment.
