COVID-19 Sacrifice for mental health of children and teens

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit children and adolescents in the Americas and destroyed their physical and mental health. Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said Wednesday.

As the proliferation of infectious diseases continues, cases have increased by 20% in the Americas over the past week, and public health leaders have warned that young people are also at significant risk of being infected with the virus. She urged countries to take some specific steps to protect them, including the safe reopening of schools.

Dr. Etienne said more than 1.5 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the region last year, but more than 1.9 million have already been reported in the first nine months of this year. Children and adolescents generally experience mild or no symptoms, but they can also develop severe illness.

“As more adults are vaccinated with COVID-19, children who are not yet vaccinated in most countries are more likely to be hospitalized and even die from COVID,” Dr. Etienne said in the media. I mentioned in the briefing. “So let’s be clear. Children and adolescents also face a significant risk of illness from COVID-19.”

But in addition to that, a series of secondary effects have been particularly devastating to children and adolescents, the PAHO director said in detail.

“The virus indirectly affects its growth and development, jeopardizing its chances for a bright future,” she warned.

Dr. Etienne emphasized the negative effects of not attending school directly. “Every day children go out of school, they are more likely to drop out and not go back to school,” she said. “For some of the most vulnerable children, especially our girls, this can have lasting consequences.

“Experts agree that the pandemic has caused the worst educational crisis ever seen in the region.”

She urged PAHO member states to focus on restoring the health, education and social services of school-aged people.

According to Dominican doctors, children and adolescents also do not receive annual tests and regular vaccinations due to the widespread disruption of their health system. “Half of the young people experienced increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic, but mental health services and support are out of reach for many,” she said.

According to PAHO, sexual and reproductive health services are disrupted in more than half of the countries in the region, and blockades and economic turmoil increase the risk of domestic violence and potentially endanger families to children and adolescents. There is sex.

Dr. Etienne advised that countries should “do everything they can to safely reopen schools” to reduce the negative impact on young people.

“There is no zero-risk scenario,” he said, saying that national and local governments need to decide when to open and when to close, depending on the epidemiological situation and resilience of the region. PAHO has developed detailed guidelines for safe resumption, including ensuring proper ventilation and hygiene.

Children and adolescents need to practice proven public health measures: physical distance, frequent hand washing, wearing masks in public places, avoiding crowded areas. Also, if you have symptoms or suspected illness, you should be tested.

She also urged countries to develop communication campaigns tailored to children and adolescents to ensure that they understand the risks of infection and their ability to infect COVID-19. “Too many children and adolescents still don’t think they are at risk,” said Dr. Etienne.

In her latest update on the status of the virus in the Americas, Dr. Etienne said that overall infection rates are rising despite the decline or stagnation of the virus in many other parts of the world. I reported.

Infection is generally slower in the Caribbean.However, she said Barbados, Grenada and Bermuda reported a sharp increase, and Jamaica experienced the highest weekly infections since the onset of the pandemic.

Infections are increasing in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize, and many hospitals are “fully saturated” with COVID-19 patients, Dr. Etienne said.

Last week, a total of 1.4 million cases and 23,300 COVID-related deaths were reported in the Americas.
(SD / PAHO)

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