Did COVID-19 restrictions have long-term impacts on kids’ immune systems?

Pediatric doctors say kids immune systems are playing catch up after being isolated from viruses during COVID-19 shutdowns. Mark Neufeld reports.

By Mark Neufeld

After pandemic lockdowns that included daycare and school closures, many medical professionals say kids appear to be getting sick more often now.

But should parents be concerned that COVID-19 restrictions may have impacted the development of their children’s immune system long term?

Dr. Marni Hanna, the president of the Manitoba Pediatric Society, says it’s definitely a concern she has been hearing from parents. Young patients who for two years were hardly ever sick are now visiting her office with recurring viral illnesses.

“I have many appointments every day where parents wonder if their child has a functioning immune system anymore,” said Hanna.

“A lot of kids were more sheltered and because of that their immune systems were more naive or not being exposed to things they would have in years past.”

Hanna says it’s natural to see an increase in illness in the fall heading into winter, however there is also usually a decrease in illness over the summer. She says that decrease didn’t happen this year.

“A classic example of that is what happened with hand-foot-and-mouth disease this summer and into the fall. A lot more kids were getting it,” she said.

Studying babies born during pandemic

Deanna Santer with the University of Manitoba’s department of immunology says scientists around the world are already studying the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on the development of our immune systems – specifically in babies born during the pandemic.

“I think this is a very important topic and we’re going to have to wait a few years to see really the overall impact,” said Santer.

“It’s definitely something that a lot of people are interested in because it is a very unique situation of these babies that haven’t been exposed to their grandparents or daycare as much as normal.”

WATCH: Are kids more susceptible to illness this school year?

Bodies playing catch-up

Pediatric emergency physician Karen Gripp says health restrictions did reduce the spread of COVID-19 but also limited kids’ exposure to thousands of other viruses. She believes their immune systems missed the opportunity to prime themselves against those viruses, and says their bodies are now playing catch-up.

“When parents say that they see more illness, they are,” said Gripp, the medical director of the Children’s Hospital Emergency Department at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre.

“It’s not that the immune system is suffering, it’s that it’s now seizing the opportunity to activate itself.”

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