Unlike the severity of Zika infections that occur to unborn children in the womb during pregnancy, most children who are infected postnatally experience relatively mild symptoms, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Looking at pediatric Zika cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2016 and 2017 from 10 states, the researchers reviewed 144 infection cases and noted the following four primary clinical signs and symptoms associated with the disease:
- 94% had rash
- 74% developed fever
- 48% presented with arthralgia
- 36% had conjunctivitis
Fever, arthralgia, and myalgia were more common in older children (12‒17 years) than younger children (1‒11 years) and arthralgia, arthritis, edema, and myalgia were more common in adults compared to children, the authors stated. Additionally, none of the children developed neurologic disease, there were no reported deaths. Twenty-eight children received treatment in the emergency department and another was hospitalized.
“The symptoms frequently reported among children with Zika virus disease are common to many childhood illnesses and are not notably different than those experienced by adults,” concluded the researchers. “Healthcare providers should consider Zika virus disease in the differential diagnosis for children with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis, who reside in or traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission.”
