Do not postpone routine immunization or modify usual pediatric preventive and treatment measures in both the territory and hospital during the circulation of SARS-CoV-2.
In children in the first two years of life, delays of 3-6 months in scheduled vaccination sessions were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, while in adolescents vaccination coverage for booster doses dropped by more than 10%. In addition, late diagnoses of chronic diseases (e.g., type 1 diabetes, oncological diseases) were reported due to delayed access to Emergency Room, and the percentage of children and adolescents who underwent health check-ups by their primary care pediatricians was reduced. All this shows that the efforts made over the years on prevention and early diagnosis of disease in pediatric age may be wasted, with serious health risks in the immediate future.
Sources
1. Cella A, Marchetti F, Iughetti L, Di Biase AR, Graziani G, De Fanti A, Valletta E, Vaienti F, Vergine G, Viola L, Biasucci G. Italian COVID-19 epidemic: effects on paediatric emergency attendance—a survey in the Emilia Romagna region. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2020;4:e000742. doi:10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000742.
2.Esposito S, Parma COVID-19 Pediatric Working Group (PaCoPed), Voccia E, Cantarelli A, Canali A, Principi N, Prati A. Telemedicine for management of paediatric infectious diseases during COVID-19 outbreak. J Clin Virol 2020;129:104522.
3. Zhong Y, Clapham HE, Aishworiya R, et al. Childhood vaccinations: Hidden impact of COVID-19 on children in Singapore. Vaccine. 2020; Epub Dec 26:S0264-410X(20)31634-0. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.12.054.
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PDFAttention. Please note that these items are provided only for information and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a clinician. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their clinician.
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