Severe, primary, and incidental COVID-19 in hospitalised children, South Africa: 2020–2023
In a high HIV prevalence country, approximately 70% of children with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were hospitalised for COVID-19 treatment; almost 70% of these children were severely ill. Controlling for other factors, disease severity was highest in the hypothesised pre-immunity Ancestral period. HIV infection and delayed ART initiation were associated with severe signs. In such settings, strengthening general child health programmes to reduce underweight and prevent or treat paediatric HIV may reduce the severity of new diseases of pandemic proportion.
Authors
- Nomakhuwa Tabane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9147-7813)
- Riana van Zyl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8495-4252)
- Nicolette du Plessis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9009-691X)
- Thomas Aldersley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8911-8771)
- Shannon Cawood (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2099-8616)
- Ameena Goga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-6486)
- Zainab Waggie
- Kogielambal Chinniah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3869-8071)
- Gary Reubenson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2541-4165)
- Nobuhle Mchunu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1832-2863)
- P Jeena
- Ute Feucht (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6339-1040)
- Trisha Ramraj (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2165-9376)
- Sithembiso Velaphi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9219-8485)
- Moore Dp
- Dini Mawela
- Prof Ziyaad Dangor
- Kirsten Ann Donald
- Christiaan Scott
- Tarylee Reddy
- Heather J Zar
- Jeané Cloete
- Kate Webb
- Renate Strehlau
- Terusha Chetty
Institutions
- South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
- University of the Free State (ZA)
- Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (ZA)
- City of Cape Town (ZA)
- Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (ZA)
- Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital (ZA)
- Health Strat (Kenya) (KE)
- MRC Biostatistics Unit (GB)
- Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (ZA)
- Institute of Child and Mother Health (BD)
- University of Pretoria (ZA)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Global Health
- Published
- 2026-01-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.16.04009
- Primary Topic
- Immune responses and vaccinations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Carnegie Corporation of New York
- World Health Organization
- UNICEF
- Wellcome Trust
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- European Commission
- National Research Foundation
- South African Medical Research Council
- Department for International Development
- University of Cape Town
- Medical Research Council
- Division of Research Capacity Development