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HEALTH

French case raises questions over whether children are big coronavirus spreaders

A nine-year-old who contracted COVID-19 in eastern France did not pass the virus on to any other pupils at three ski-schools, according to new research that suggests infants are not large spreaders of the disease.

French case raises questions over whether children are big coronavirus spreaders
France has closed all its schools to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Photo: AFP

The child was infected in France's Haute-Savoie region in one of the first coronavirus clusters in the country, which saw 12 people catch the disease after a British man returned from Singapore and went on a ski holiday.

A study published this month in the US journal Clinical Infectious Diseases looked at the case of the child, who continued to attend three ski clubs while unknowingly infected.

Through rapid intervention by health authorities, it was ascertained that the child, who only displayed mild symptoms, came into contact with 172 people while sick.

All of those were placed in quarantine as a precaution, but none of them contracted COVID-19, not even the child's two siblings.

By contrast, 64 percent of those contacts tested positive for other seasonal illnesses such as flu.

Authors of the study said that the case of the child could “suggest that children might not be an important source of transmissions of this novel virus.”

“One child, co-infected with other respiratory viruses, attended three schools while symptomatic, but did not transmit the virus, suggesting potential different transmission dynamics in children,” Kostas Danis, an epidemiologist at Public Health France, and lead study author, told AFP.

While coronavirus infections in children appear to be mainly mild, it is thought that they may be capable of spreading the disease to older people at greater risk of serious illness.

Dozens of countries have closed schools as they try to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Préfectures, property and Euro 2024: Essential articles for life in France

Buying a property, préfecture problems, buying and selling concert tickets, how and where to watch Euro 2024 action - plus of course what France's snap elections mean for foreigners in France - are all this week's must-reads from The Local.

Préfectures, property and Euro 2024: Essential articles for life in France

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And then, there are the extra hurdles for foreigners purchasing property here. Here’s a look at some of the restrictions and challenges you will want to be aware of beforehand.

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If you’re a non-EU citizen living in France then you will need either a visa or a carte de séjour (residency permit) – and in the early years most people will need to regularly renew their cards – this means that you will have to interact with their local préfecture, or sous-préfecture. Here are a few tips to make the process a little easier on the blood pressure…

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From strike action to Olympic disruption, via ‘black days’ on the roads and the €49 rail pass, here’s a look ahead to what to expect if you’re travelling to, from or within France in summer 2024.

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