A contingency plan for the management of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in neonatal intensive care units
Jianhui Wang, Hongbo Qi, Lei Bao, Fang Li, Yuan Shi
on behalf of theNational Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders and Pediatric Committee of Medical Association of Chinese People's Liberation Army
Published:February 07, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30040-7
Since December, 2019, a pneumonia of unknown cause, which has clinical manifestations similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome,1, 2 originated in Wuhan, China, and has rapidly spread across China and to at least 23 countries. By Feb 5, 2020, the number of laboratory-confirmed cases had exceeded 20?000, with more than 400 deaths. About 100 children were affected, with the youngest being 30 h after birth. A novel virus named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was considered to be the causative agent of this pneumonia. Neonates are thought to be susceptible to the virus because their immune system is not well developed, which is of great concern to neonatal medical service providers. Paediatricians and neonatologists belonging to the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders and Pediatric Committee of Medical Association of Chinese People's Liberation Army have contributed to the control efforts in China. We aim to elicit a contingency plan for the 2019-nCoV outbreak in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), mainly focused on diagnostic and discharge criteria, treatment, prevention, and control strategies.
