Brazil is staggering under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak is the second harshest after the United States. And there are also signs its medical resources are overstretched in some areas. However, this does allow an opportunity to observe the consequences of not taking measures early. We examine the reasons why infants are dying of COVID in Brazil. So we can see what we can learn from this.
COVID Deaths of Children and Adolescents in North Eastern Brazil
On December 26, 2020 U.S. National Library of Medicine hosted a report by researchers in Brazil. They examined COVID deaths of children and adolescents in the north eastern state of Sergipe in Brazil. And their findings were as follows:
1… The COVID death rate for children under 19 years of age was 4.87 per 100,000 population
2… The greatest number of deaths in children was among infants. Because they had a fatality rate of 15.3%
3… Most of them also had comorbidities or were born premature. But 49% were not admitted to intensive care
The researchers suspect insufficient intensive care facilities contributed to the situation. That’s because it happened in a relatively impoverished area. BBC News reported April 15, 2021 some doctors seemed unaware of the risk, based on anecdotal evidence from bereaved parents.
A Medical Discovery Why Infants are Dying of COVID in Brazil
A report in Lancet Medical Journal of March 9, 2021 may help explain why infants are dying of COVID in Brazil. The researchers directed their attention there to a newly-identified medical condition ‘multisystem inflammatory syndrome’ (MIS). Because this serious illness apparently associates with the SARS-CoV-2 infection causing COVID-19.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control advises this syndrome causes inflammation in hearts, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs of patients. Please refer to the CDC link below if you need to know more about the warning signs in kids. However, doctors do not yet know what causes the condition, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
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Brazil Deaths of Children and Adolescents
