Protocol for the development of a rapid advice guideline for prevention, management and care of children with 2019 novel coronavirus infection

Posted On 2020-02-24 10:39:10


In December 2019, a new type of Coronavirus that causes pneumonia was first detected in Wuhan, China, and is since then spreading worldwide. On January 13, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the virus “2019 novel coronavirus” (2019-nCoV), and ranked the risk of a global 2019-nCoV outbreak to high, saying it poses a very high risk for China and the world. To date, over 30,000 cases have been diagnosed and 723 deaths have been confirmed. The virus has now reached several othercountries. Two hundred and seventy-four cases had been diagnosed in 24 countries so far including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UK and the United States. The WHO has declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020. Cases of 2019-nCoV in children, including adolescents, have also been reported, and their number seems to be on the increase. Current guidelines and recommendations mainly target adults with 2019-nCoV infection. Health care providers are in urgent need of a guideline to assist the diagnosis and management of 2019-nCoV infected children. Rapid Advice Guidelines need to be completed in 1 to 3 months, and are designed primarily to respond to public health emergencies, in order to provide timely and rapid guidance to health workers. We aim to develop a rapid advice guideline using a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. The guideline will follow the methods for developing WHO rapid advice guidelines, taking into account the special condition of this infectious disease, in order to respond to the health emergency, need for evidence-based guidance.

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