Why do so many children die of Covid-19 in Brazil – Wel.nl

More than 362,000 people have died so far from the Corona virus in Brazil. This makes it the most affected country in the world, after the United States. Yesterday, 3,459 people died in one day from Covid-19. These aren’t the only old people. A total of 1,300 children died. Writes for BBC News.

Many children who become seriously ill or die from corona have underlying conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Infectionist Luhana Tavares of Children’s Hospital in Fortaleza says they often are overweight. But this does not apply to all of them. Sometimes young children also have to deal with a severe immune response to the virus, which causes inflammation in vital organs.

Therefore, it is a misconception that young children are not at risk of dying from Covid, according to research conducted by Dr. Fatma Mariño of the non-governmental organization Vital Strategies. Between February 2020 and March 15, 2021, at least 852 children up to the age of 9 died from Covid-19, including 518 children under the age of 1. Marinho estimates that it is at least twice as many children, because so few tests are done on these. Age group. By including death rates from other causes of death, it will reach 2,060 children under the age of nine, including more than 1,300 children.

“The black children from poor families are the most vulnerable. They have the worst possibility of getting help and therefore they are most at risk of dying,” Marinho told BBC News. Hospitals are difficult to reach for poor communities, and they are more likely to infect each other because many of them live in small homes. “Moreover, children often suffer from malnutrition, which is harmful to the immune system,” the researcher explains.