Do parents need to be worried? What precautionary measures parents should take for their babies due to this COVID-19 outbreak?
With the continued widespread impact of the novel corona virus, parents are more concerned than ever about the safety of the children. The current situation is a chaotic one, with too much misinformation all around. All this is doing is making parents and even their children feel overwhelmed and anxious. The outbreak of corona virus has everyone on edge. With more and more hospitalizations and deaths resulting from the disease, it is only natural for parents to be concerned about their babies.
What is known as of now is that COVID-19 is primarily a disease that is mainly fatal to the elderly and the ones with pre-existing health conditions like lung or heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. As more and more people get affected by the COVID-19, everyone is being advised to take the necessary precautions for avoiding getting the infection. These precautions include washing your hands thoroughly, working from home and avoiding non-essential travel. But what if you are a parent or expecting? Is there any risk to their babies? What precautions do they need to take? Here is everything you would want to know.
What is COVID-19?
Corona virus refers to a family of similar viruses. Most of these viruses live exclusively in animals, although scientists have found different strains that can potentially infect people. Typically, humans infected by these strains of virus experience mild symptoms similar to that of a common cold. However, in some cases, a rogue corona virus can cause severe infections. The new corona virus, responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak, is speculated to have originated from a bat although it is still unclear how it was directly spread to humans.
The main issue with COVID-19 is that it is causing a lot more deaths than other milder corona viruses. There is still not enough information about it, including how it spreads and how contagious it is. Currently, it seems to be milder than MERS or SARS. However, it is potent enough to cause sickness that requires hospitalization.
Do parents need to be worried?
Given the uncertainty surrounding the whole situation, a parent might start panicking. However, the most essential thing to do right now is to remain cautious. From what has been seen until now, most children do not develop severe symptoms that result from COVID-19. The corona virus infection tends to show much milder symptoms in children.
What precautions need to be taken?
In general, parents should take the same precautions they would take to protect their babies from common cold or flu. Since the corona virus is known to spread rapidly from person to person, even if the person is not showing the symptom yet, you must remain cautious as well. You wouldn’t want to be spreading the virus to your baby. Follow all the basic precautions, including washing hands and social distancing. Apart from that, you also need to make sure your baby has all the necessary vaccination to protect them against illnesses.
Dr. Srishailesh. D.M
Consultant Neonatology & Pediatrics
