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Health News of Wednesday, 16 September 2020

Source: punch.ng

Coronavirus: Understanding how virus affects children a priority – WHO

The World Health Organisation says since the beginning of the pandemic, understanding how COVID-19 affects children has been a priority issue.

Speaking during the virtual media briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that although children have largely been spared many of the most severe health effects of the virus, they have suffered in other ways.

Ghebreyesus, however, said more research is needed about the factors that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death among children and adolescents.

He said “Since the beginning of the pandemic, understanding how COVID-19 affects children has been a priority issue.

“Nine months into the pandemic, many questions remain, but we are starting to have a clearer picture.

“We know that children and adolescents can be infected and can infect others.

“We know that this virus can kill children, but that children tend to have a milder infection and there are very few severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 among children and adolescents,” he said.

The WHO chief said data shows that less than 10 percent of reported cases and less than 0.2 percent of deaths are in people under the age of 20.

“However, more research is needed about the factors that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death among children and adolescents.

“And the potential long-term health effects in those who have been infected remains unknown.

“Although children have largely been spared many of the most severe health effects of the virus, they have suffered in other ways.”

According to him, in many countries, essential services for nutrition and immunisation have been disrupted, and millions of children have missed out on months of schooling.

“We all want to see children back at school, and we all want to make sure schools are the safe and supportive learning environments they should be. Schools are part of a community. In fact, schools connect communities.

“The measures taken in a community to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission will reduce the risk in schools as well.

“In some countries, schools have reopened. In others they remain closed,” he said.

Ghebreyesus added that given the devastating consequences on children, youth and our societies as a whole, the decision to close schools should be a last resort, temporary and only at a local level in areas with intense transmission.

“During school closures, continuity of education should be guaranteed through distance learning.

“The time during which schools are closed should be used to put in place measures to prevent and respond to transmission when schools reopen.

“Keeping children safe and at school is not a job for schools alone, or governments alone or families alone. It’s a job for all of us, working together.

“As we often say, there is no zero risk. But with the right combination of measures, we can keep our kids safe and teach them that health and education are two of the most precious commodities in life,” he said.