[ad_1]
“Covid-19 has created this urgent crisis affecting children in almost every country,” Dr. Susan Hillis of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 response team told CNN, who worked on the study.
“For two deaths from Covid-19, a child risks the death of a parent or caregiver.”
The team – including researchers from CDC, USAID, World Bank, University College London and elsewhere – counted deaths in 21 countries which accounted for more than 76% of all Covid cases . They used methods developed and validated years ago to estimate the number of children around the world who are believed to be AIDS orphans in order to predict the number of Covid-19 orphans.
Children who lose a parent or guardian are not only immediately stressed; they are also more likely to suffer from illnesses, abuse and poverty themselves, the researchers said.
“There are very serious consequences,” Hillis said. “The consequences of all these adversities are often permanent,” she added.
“Children who lose their primary caregivers are at higher risk of suffering from mental health issues, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and family poverty,” the team wrote. “These negative experiences increase the risk of suicide, teenage pregnancy, infectious diseases including HIV / AIDS and chronic diseases.”
Grandparents are more important than they initially seem, they added. “In the United States, 40% of grandparents living with grandchildren are their primary caregivers; in the UK 40% of grandparents take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis, ”the researchers wrote.
But the pandemic has hampered the ability to provide even this less than desirable level of care to children. “However, public health responses to the pandemic, such as stay-at-home orders and the constraints of performing remote child protection assessments, have significantly reduced the capacity of health care systems and services. protection established to provide much needed child safety interventions and support, “the report read.
“These 1.5 million children are the neglected tragic consequence of the more than 3 million deaths associated with COVID-19 as of April 30, 2021,” the researchers added. “The deaths of orphans and caregivers are a hidden pandemic resulting from deaths associated with COVID-19.”
What to do about it? First, the researchers recommend: get Covid-19 vaccines to everyone as quickly as possible, and help prevent infections through other means, including the use of masks and distancing.
“As soon as a primary caregiver becomes seriously ill with COVID-19, or a family is severely affected by other factors associated with the pandemic, that family should receive a full assessment including testing, research and appropriate quarantine. and supported by exposed family members, the family should be supported in developing a plan for how the children could be cared for if their guardian were to die, ”they added.
And companies must help families affected by the pandemic with economic, educational and mental support, the report recommends.
Low-cost services to provide all of this are already available and there is evidence to support what works, the researchers said.
[ad_2]
Source link