Colombia and the world in general do not lower their guard against COVID-19, and even more so with the announcement of the new variant of the virus, Eris or EG.5. In the case of the little ones in the house, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection authorized pediatric vaccination for boys and girls from 6 months to 2 years, 11 months and 29 days, thus allowing this age group to be protected from the virus. The implications of this authorization are highly relevant, since by starting and completing the vaccination scheme, children and their families will be able to prevent various complications, from hospitalizations, depression, anxiety to fatal outcomes.
(Also read: Authorize anticovid vaccine for children from 6 months of age)
The complications that can be generated by COVID-19 go beyond an acute respiratory tract infection, since hospitalizations are more frequent in young children, as is the need for admission to intensive care units. In fact, deaths from this disease are higher in children under one year of age than in any other pediatric age group. In addition, if the child recovers from the infection, they may still be exposed to longer-term complications, such as an inflammatory syndrome that compromises various body systems up to prolonged COVID-19, which can last up to more than three months in the body of a minor
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection authorized on June 21 the vaccine against COVID-19 in boys and girls from 6 months to 2 years, 11 months and 29 days.
Jaiver Nieto Álvarez / ETCE
(Also read: Childhood vaccination begins to recover after the decline of the pandemic)
Faced with this situation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has launched a worrying alarm about this situation for parents, because one in five children has not received all the necessary vaccines to deal with COVID -19. This translates into a daily threat that the child population is going through, since their immune system cannot cope with the different complications generated by the virus, being up to 5 times more likely to be hospitalized and up to 10 times more vulnerable to die from COVID-19.
To recap, the complications that children may be exposed to by not vaccinating against COVID-19 are the following:
Long-term COVID-19: By not having a dose of the vaccine, children can present long-term complications, the result of a virus infection. Symptoms may occur such as: tiredness, fever, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, tachycardia, difficulty thinking, muscle pain, among others. Intrafamily contagion: Unvaccinated children do not have protection against the virus, so when they develop a COVID-19 infection they can spread with a cough or a simple sneeze, which can trigger disabling symptoms or contagion in the family nucleus. , which can develop the virus, presenting severe symptoms and being hospitalized. Conditions on their mental health: By not being able to attend the activities necessary for their development, some boys and girls infected with COVID-19 present symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Additionally, by not being able to attend their educational and social activities correctly, attention deficit disorders, hyperactivity, autism and other mental disorders generated by isolation by COVID-19 have been identified. Pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome: Some children infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 have developed this disease, characterized by uncontrolled inflammation throughout the body that may require hospitalization in intensive care units. Added to this terrifying fact is that the mortality rate of this syndrome varies between 1% and 8%, a figure that worries parents the most.
Children who have not been vaccinated are at greater risk of being hospitalized or dying from the virus.
Jaiver Nieto Álvarez / ETCE
“Boys and girls who do not have the COVID-19 vaccine are exposed to a dangerous scenario where the odds are against them. Every day that goes by without vaccination increases your vulnerability to this virus that can compromise both your present and your future. The risks are clear: from conditions that compromise your health in the long term, to the possibility of becoming vectors of transmission to your loved ones. The pediatric vaccine is not just a solution, it is a necessary shield to protect the future of our childhood”, adds Dr. Iván Gutiérrez, Infectologist and pediatrician.
(Also read: In Colombia, 11% of cases of covid-19 occurred in children)
The Colombian Society of Pediatrics also recently issued a call to action through its pediatric vaccination campaign ‘A new generation is born to be vaccinated against Covid-19’, inviting parents and health personnel to encourage vaccination in boys and girls attending immunization days in a timely manner, and thus promote the complete protection of all household members.
EDWIN CAICEDO | HEALTH UNIT
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2023-08-24 22:40:48
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