Pradyumna, Adithya and Mehta, Kayur
(2020)
Perspectives on child health and wellbeing.
Learning Curve (8).
pp. 12-16.
ISSN 2582-1644
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
has brought unparalleled challenges to the care of
children and adolescents globally. India is currently
second on the list of countries with highest case
counts and third in terms of deaths. According
to data from the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, as on September 1, 2020, eight percent
of the cases and one percent of deaths in India
have occurred in children aged under 17 years.
COVID-19 appears to be milder in children than
in adults, which is quite atypical for a respiratory
viral infection, commonly presenting as a self-
limiting febrile upper respiratory illness. However,
children are still at risk of developing severe illness
and complications from COVID-19. These include
respiratory failure, damage to the heart, kidneys,
and multi-organ system failure, just like in adults. A
minority of children can also experience a serious,
post-infectious inflammatory syndrome, which
is specific to children, difficult to treat and can
be associated with long-term consequences. The
overall mortality rate due to the disease in much
lower in children compared to adults.
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