Making India safe for children in third Covid wave

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  Making India safe for children in third Covid wave

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• The story: After being wrong-footed in the second Covid wave, India has begun the task of preparing its medical facilities to treat children in case the expected third wave hits them worse than earlier waves of coronavirus.
• Treatment protocol: A new treatment protocol is being worked on for children who test positive. Beds and wards are being modified to create space for parents. Medical staff are being retrained. Equipment is being assessed to see if it needs re-calibration for younger bodies. If the parents are covid negative, they may have to be kept in partitioned rooms with their child. For children above 10-12 years, the parent can stay in the hospital but in a different room and meet the child from time to time with precautions. Hospitals have not allowed attendants to stay with Covid patients. For children, this has to change.
• Drugs: As limited drugs are available to treat children, getting the treatment protocol right is now the top priority of leading paediatricians. This entails what kind of oxygen therapy should be given to children, what are the other supportive therapies, which medicines are permissible etc.
• Hope and fear: Doctors are hopeful the worst won't come to pass, but are preparing just in case. They are also hopeful that children will not experience the cytokine storm that adults have experienced. The immune system of children is not mature enough to create such a strong response, which is a good thing. 

1. But children have experienced what is called the "Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome" or MIS-C. This is a rare but serious complication associated with Covid in which different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, or eyes.
2. According to the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, the majority of children with MIS-C are likely to recover, if treated in time. But that means India needs to be prepared with more in-patient beds and intensive care beds for children.

• Summary: The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has asked all states to provide data on critical health care facilities for newborns and paediatric care, such as the number of paediatricians, nurses, support staff, and paramedical staff. One can hope and pray that there is no third wave at all, and if it does arrive, it spares the children. 

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