Why are some countries seeing more COVID-19 cases among children?
The perceived wisdom has been that the virus does not affect children as severely,
but case numbers in Brazil, Indonesia and India suggest otherwise
By Melissa Davey / The Guardian
Brazil’s leading epidemiologist is seeing symptoms of COVID-19 in children that starkly contrast with the message that has been relayed globally throughout the pandemic: That children do not appear to be affected severely by the virus.
Severe muscle aches, diarrhea, coughing, abdominal pain and hospitalization all of these are happening to children with COVID-19 in Brazil, said Fatima Marinho, director of noncommunicable diseases and health promotion at the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
A paediatric pulmonologist working in Bangalore, Dr Srikanta JT, says during the previous wave of Covid there might be one child a week with Covid.
âBut according to data from most [health] centres in India and our own data collated over [the] last few months, the second wave seems to be impacting children quite significantly with numbers gradually increasing, with almost 12 to 15 positive cases a day,â he tells Guardian Australia. These include young children and adolescents.
While most children seem to have asymptomatic to mildly infections which could be managed at home, there is a growing number of severe cases in children.
IDAI yet to recommend face-to-face learning in schools 4 hours ago
Documents - UNICEF Nutrition Specialist Sri Sukotjo (right) with the Chair of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDI) Aman Bhakti Pulungan (left) during a monitored online discussion in Jakarta, on Wednesday. (ANTARA/Muhammad Zulfikar) Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) has not yet recommended face-to-face learning at schools in the wake of an increase in COVID-19 transmission in the country.
In a written statement received here on Wednesday, General Chairperson of IDAI, Prof. Dr Aman B. Pulungan SpA (K), stated that the requirements for reopening schools were controlled local transmission marked by a positivity rate of below five percent and a decline in the death rate.