Why is there a surge in Covid-19 cases among children in India

Opening of schools low vaccination rates among the kids and most importantly lack of adherence to Covid measures are the major reasons behind the current surge in infections seen among young children said health experts here on MondayNearly 100 school children in the NCR region of the capital have been infected with SARSCoV2 the virus causing Covid19 disease in the last few daysSince the beginning of the new academic session in April about 59 students in Gautam Budh Nagar and 32 in Ghaziabad across 22 schools tested positive for Covid Several schools in Delhi have also reported positive cases Besides children teachers have also been infectedHealth authorities in Delhi and Noida have instructed schools to follow the Covid protocols strictly and to set up Covid help desks Schools have been directed to close down the wing or the school completely even if a single case of Covid is reported among students Parents have also been asked not to send children to school if they report any symptoms of the viral illnessCovid19 cases are showing a rapid surge in the paediatric group at the moment especially in our NCR region because the kids have started attending school They are not vaccinated yet as the vaccine is still under trial for under 12 years of age group Dr Col Vijay Dutta Senior Consultant Indian Spinal Injuries Centre told IANSWith gaps in the precautionary measures the infection will happen added Dr Smita Malhotra Consultant and Paediatric Gastroenterologist Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New DelhiThe doctors pointed out that the typical symptoms include mild cough cold fever and headacheIn a few cases the symptoms can be diarrhoea and fatigue So far there are no pneumonia cases in the paediatric group they notedMeanwhile with 2183 number of infections India has seen a 90 per cent jump Covid cases in the last 24 hoursWhile the cases are rising significantly it is too early to call it the fourth wave Dr Meena J Consultant Paediatrics amp Neonatology Aakash Healthcare Dwarka told IANSAccording to experts the BA2 subvariant of Omicron is currently the predominant strain in the countryWhile Covid cases among children were significantly low worldwide during the last two years of the pandemic the Omicron wave which began in late November last year caused increased infections in kidsChildren were majorly affected with multisystem inflammatory syndrome and upper airway infection such as laryngotracheobronchitis commonly known as croup that is characterised by barking cough and noisy breathingA recent study published in the JAMA Paediatrics showed that upper airways infection increased during the Omicron surge It led to a surge in hospitalisation with several kids requiring invasive ventilation vasopressors or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and even deaths in the USThe study by a team of researchers from US universities of Colorado and Northwestern found that small and relatively collapsible airways in young children makes them more vulnerable to upper airway infection such as croup which if severe can lead to cardiac arrestBecause children below 12 years of age cannot be vaccinated it raises their risk of contracting Covid Thus following the universal precautionary measures which includes hand washing social distancing and wearing masks is essential Malhotra saidThe Government of India should also speed up their vaccination programme for kids In school kids should be taught some behaviours of covering their face while sneezing and coughing Whenever they sneeze or cough they should cover their mouth and nose with tissue and throw away that issue immediately Dutta saidThey should wash their hands with soap and water or with the alcoholbased sanitisers in regular intervals in order to prevent spread of infection in the paediatric group he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever