BHUBANESWAR: Namrata Nag (10) of Larki village, more than 100 km away from Balangir district headquarters, had never expected that she would get infected with Covid-19 as she was always staying at home ever since her school was closed. She developed Covid symptoms and tested positive in midApril. It took nearly five days for the Covid-induced fever to reduce and a fortnight to recover. Later, her teenager brother was diagnosed with the disease and days before his recovery, their parents also tested positive. They are now in home isolation.
Five inmates of a Children Home at Sonepur were found positive for the virus on May 16. Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee Himansu Bhusan Nayak said the children had never come out of the short-stay home for last six months. Two inmates are symptomatic and the remaining three are asymptomatic.
But not all are lucky to have recovered in home isolation. Fourteen children, who had tested positive last week, were admitted at the Maternal and Child Hospital (MCH), Baripada after their condition deteriorated. They are now undergoing treatment.
The second wave of the pandemic is taking a toll on children’s health with several districts reporting a sharp rise in the number of children between the age of one and 10 landing up in hospitals. Unlike the first wave, the virus is affecting infants with some as young as one to six-month-old getting admitted to special newborn care units (SNCUs). Recently, two 25-days-old infants have come out victorious by defeating the virus. Health department sources said the 0-18 age group accounted for nearly eight per cent (pc) of the total positive cases recorded till May 18 against around six pc last year. The death rate has also increased from 0.4 pc to 0.6 pc among the children.
Of the 2.89 lakh cases recorded during the period, 24,303 were below 18 years including 22,711 below 16 years. Among them, only one pc of the total positive cases were below five years, three pc were aged five to 12 years and five pc were 12-18 age group. Three children below 16 years have succumbed to the disease this year. The highest 234 deaths (46.61 pc) were recorded among the 41-60 age group followed by 150 (29.88 pc) among the senior citizens and 115 (22.91 pc) among the 17 to 40 years.
Director of Family Welfare Dr Bijay Panigrahi said children, who are severely malnourished and with pre-diabetic condition, are more vulnerable during pandemic. “The severity in younger children is not very high, but adults in the family should properly follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to ensure no one else is infected in the family. Since no vaccine is available for below 18 years, all adults must get vaccinated,” said Dr Panigrahi, a paediatric specialist.
Even as the Covid cases among children are rising significantly, separate beds for such patients in the dedicated Covid hospitals are yet to be set up in Odisha, which has an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 40 in every 1,000 live births. The existing MCHs and SNCUs are now used for the critical patients risking the lives of non-Covid patients. With evidences suggesting that malnutrition increases susceptibility to infections and infectious diseases also cause malnutrition resulting in a vicious cycle of poverty and mortality, health experts warned the State government to step up measures given the public health infrastructure in rural areas.
Although studies say vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, D, B12, B6, C and Zinc contribute in containing the infection, as per the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18, the deficiency of Zinc among the adolescents aged 10 to 19 years is the highest at 42.4 pc, Vitamin A 19.1 pc and Vitamin D 18.4 pc. A nutrition expert Basanta Kumar Kar suggested the government to promote quality inter-personal counselling by grassroots functionaries besides shifting children with severe wasting to nutrition rehabilitation centres for treatment and appropriate feeding.
Meanwhile, Odisha has set up a committee to manage Covid-19 among children. The government has issued an advisory asking parents to practice Covid appropriate behaviour and ensure that children older than two years wear face masks while stepping out of their homes. NHM Director Shalini Pandit said the MCHs are fully equipped to tackle the cases and the government is taking every possible measure to contain the spread of the virus. But it is the parents and elders in a family who have to be extra careful to protect children, she added.
Worrying trend
The 0-18 age group accounted for nearly 8 pc of total positive cases recorded till May 18
The death rate has increased from 0.4 pc to 0.6 pc among the children
2.89 lakh cases recorded during the period
24,303 were below 18 years including 22,711 below 16 years
Only one pc of the total positive cases were below five years