Amid the devastation that Covid has been causing in Brazil, an unexpected and disturbing twist has begun to take place in recent weeks that experts are trying to understand: the disease appears to be killing more young children and babies.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the pandemic, 832 children under the age of 5 have died from the virus in the country. However, researchers from the University of Sao Paulo calculate that due to the underdiagnosis of cases, the number of pediatric deaths could be up to almost three times higher.
“We are witnessing a huge impact on children. It is an absurdly high figure. We have not seen this anywhere else in the world, ”says epidemiologist Fatima Marinho, who is conducting research on the subject at that university.
While there is no evidence that the Manaus variant, the one with the highest circulation in Brazil, is increasing the number of infant and child deaths, experts note that it does appear to lead to higher mortality rates among pregnant women.
For now, suspicions suggest that the explanation would be the lack of timely and adequate access to medical care by the child population. “The children are not being given diagnostic tests – the researcher points out -: they are sent home, and only when they return to the hospital in really serious conditions is Covid suspected.”
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