Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conjunctival Involvement in Infants as an Unusual Symptom of Omicron XBB.1.16 Driven Surge

  • Research Letter
  • Published:
Indian Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We describe clinical characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected children during the XBB.1.16 variant-driven surge in April, 2023 in India. A significantly higher positivity rate in young infants than in older children (37.4% vs 13.3%; P<0.001), and a predominance of respiratory symptoms were noticed. Notably, non-purulent conjunctivitis was found in 36.8% of SARS-CoV-2 positive infants. All recovered with symptomatic treatment as outpatients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Huge jump in COVID-19 cases! Over 11,000 infections reported in last 24 hours. Accessed on April 15, 2023. Available from https://www.businesstoday.in/coronavirus/story/huge-jump-in-covid-19-cases-over-11000-infections-reported-in-last-24-hours-377357-2023-04-14

  2. XBB.1.16, new Arcturus variant behind India’s COVID-19 surge. Accessed on April 15, 2023. Available from https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/xbb-1–16-new-arcturus-variant-behind-indias-covid-19-surge/99495285

  3. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). Accessed on July 22, 2023. Available from https://inda.rcb.ac.in/insacog/statreportlineagegraph

  4. Sarkar M, Ghosh A, Konar MC, Roy O, Mahapatra MK, Nandi M. Clinical characteristics of children with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the third wave of the pandemic: single center experience. Indian Pediatr. 2022;59:531–4.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Muthusamy S, Sarojam B, Sugunan S, et al. Clinical Profile and short-term outcome of children with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first and second waves of the pandemic. Indian J Pediatr. 2022:1–7.

  6. Güemes-Villahoz N, Burgos-Blasco B, García-Feijoó J, Sáenz-Francés F, Arriola-Villalobos P, Martinez-de-la-Casa JM, et al. Conjunctivitis in COVID-19 patients: frequency and clinical presentation. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020 Nov;258:2501–7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Belser JA, Rota PA, Tumpey TM. Ocular tropism of respiratory viruses. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2013;77:144–56.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Funding: None

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Mangla Hospital & Research Center, Shakti Chowk, Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Vipin M. Vashishtha

  2. Kumar Child Clinic, KM Chowk, Sector 12, Dwarka, New Delhi, India

    Puneet Kumar

Authors
  1. Vipin M. Vashishtha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Puneet Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Contributors: VMV conceptualize and conducted the study, analyzed, and prepared the initial draft of the manuscript. PK helped in drafting and data analysis, gave valuable inputs in the interpretation of the data, and helped in editing the manuscript. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vipin M. Vashishtha.

Ethics declarations

Ethics clearance: IEC, Mangla Hospital & Research Centre, Bijnor; No. MHRC/IEC/2023/03, dated April 3, 2023.

Competing interests: None stated.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vashishtha, V.M., Kumar, P. Conjunctival Involvement in Infants as an Unusual Symptom of Omicron XBB.1.16 Driven Surge. Indian Pediatr 60, 861–862 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-023-3020-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-023-3020-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation