Incidence Of Covid Infection Second Highest Among Children Under 5, Say South African Experts

Expert said that earlier they did not see children “being heavily infected” with Covid-19. Neither did they see many hospital admissions of children. 

New Delhi: Experts from South Africa have expressed their concerns over the increasing number of Covid-19 infections among young children, reported PTI. Dr Waasila Jassat from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) during a media briefing said that earlier they neither saw children “being heavily infected” with Covid-19 nor did they see many hospital admissions of children. 

 “Now, at the start of this fourth wave, we see quite a sharp increase across all age groups, but particularly in the under-fives," Jassat said.

Jassat noted that children under 5 years of age were second highest to be infected with Covid-19 after people over 60 years. She said that although the incidence of infection in children was still lower, but “incidence in those under five is now second highest and second only to the incidence in those over 60.”

Jassat said that the trend they noticed particularly was a spike in hospital admission of children under five years of age. 

Another expert from the NICD, Dr Michelle Groome said that further research would be undertaken to study the reason behind this phenomenon. “It is still very early on in the wave. At this stage, it has just started in the younger age groups and we will know more (by) monitoring this age group in the coming weeks. We do just need to highlight the importance of surge preparedness to also include paediatric beds and staff,” said Groome. 

Dr Ntsakisi Maluleke, a health official from the Gauteng province which is seeing roughly around 80 percent of the daily infection also expressed concern behind this phenomenon. She said that investigations were underway to determine an increase in infection in children in younger age groups and pregnant women.