COVID-19 Could Reverse Downward Trend in Infant Deaths: UNICEF

A WHO survey revealed that 52% of countries reported disruptions in health services for sick children and 51% in malnutrition management services.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could reverse the progress toward eliminating preventable infant deaths, said UNICEF.

In 2019, the number of global deaths for kids under the age of five dropped to its lowest point, down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, revealed new mortality estimates released by an inter-agency group made up of Unicef, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group.

Coronavirus
Coronaviruses infect animals, humans, and birds. Human coronaviruses, such as SARS, MERS, and 2019-nCoV cause respiratory distress and even death. The S protein is the infectious agent of the virus.

A UNICEF survey conducted over the last several months across 77 countries found that almost 68% of countries reported some disruption in health checks for children and immunization services. 63% reported disruptions in antenatal checkups, 59% in postnatal care checkups.

A WHO survey conducted in 105 countries revealed that 52% of countries reported disruptions in health services for sick children and 51% in malnutrition management services.

Afghanistan, Bolivia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen are among the hardest-hit countries. Seven of the nine countries had increased child mortality rates of more than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births among children under five in 2019.

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Reasons for health service disruptions
- Parents avoiding hospitals, health centers for fear of infection
- Transport restrictions due to lockdowns
- Closure of healthcare services
- Few healthcare workers
- Shortage in personal protective equipment
- Increased financial burden

COVID-19 in Children
The majority of the children suffering from COVID-19 had milder symptoms and fared well clinically, compared to adults. According to a recent study, those children who are asymptomatic may play a crucial role in the community transmission of the virus.

New Test Helps Identify COVID-19 Patients at Risk for Severe Illness
The new test developed helps improve management of COVID-19 by enabling hospitals to ensure that these patients have access to intensive care.

Source-Medindia

Weight Stigma can Predict Emotional Distress and Binge Eating During COVID-19
Young adults who encountered weight stigma before the COVID-19 pandemic have higher levels of stress, depressive symptoms, eating as a coping strategy, and are more likely to binge-eat during COVID-19.

TOP INSIGHT

Surveys by UNICEF and the WHO showed that the pandemic has resulted in major disruptions to health services that threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress.