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New Delhi: Anyone with a youth ward knows how difficult it is to get the kids to conform to the mask. As schools work toward reopening, many questions – such as how long a child is supposed to wear a mask and at what point they can be allowed to remove it – have become controversial. . Guidance on this issue varies around the world, as does pediatricians’ take on what the government advises.
In India, the government is following the World Health Organization (WHO), which does not advise children aged five years or less to wear a mask. But doctors claim that children under the age of three should be “well-adjusted” to the mask and encouraged to use them given the potential risks of contracting and passing it on.
Earlier this month, in the provocative title articles in the AtlanticHematologist Vinay Prasad, An associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco argued that it is possible that the harms of wearing masks to children far outweigh the potential risks they are exposed to without a face covering.
“The issue here is, what is the purpose of having children wear masks, in what setting and at what age? Dr KS Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India and assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard, said.
“Children are likely to be exposed in many settings, at home or even outside the home. They can be exposed and meet people so there is still a possibility of infection. That’s where the issue comes up – is it possible to completely turn off the risk of infection to others?”
He said it is “appropriate” for children aged six years and older to wear masks.
“They should be masked on school transport and in classrooms, but not when they are outside. There should be as much ventilation as possible in the classrooms. There is also a difference in the percentage of adults vaccinated. When 70 percent of adults are vaccinated, for example, even when children transmit the virus, the risk of serious illness is very low,” he said.
He said that when cases in the community are decreasing, masking requirements can be relaxed even more.
However, Dr Reddy’s views differ from the government’s recommendation for children aged five years and above to wear masks. According to the Ministry of Health: “Masks are not recommended for children 5 years of age and younger. Children 6-11 years of age need to use masks safely and appropriately under the direct supervision of a parent/guardian.” May wear a mask depending on ability .
Some pediatricians think it’s too late to introduce masking protocols for five-year-olds, as children with high viral loads often carry and delta version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is more common than the wild version. is more infectious.
“Children carry the same viral load as others … Children transmit the infection as much as adults and currently all children in the country are uninfected. Although in children without the disease, they are exposed to the body’s innate immune system. (although Delta can override this too), they are a reservoir of infection,” Dr Sanjeev Bagai, president of the Nephron Clinic, told ThePrint.
“They can transmit the virus to parents and grandparents. We have seen children over the age of three become addicted to vaccines, except when they are outside or in the case of older children if they are playing professionally. I would say that it is important for children ages three and older to wear masks in a classroom setting. Countries like Israel, some states in the US had to close schools when masks were not mandatory initially,” he said, pointing to the urgent need to make N95 masks available in pediatric sizes in the country.
Separate advice for children to wear masks
There are many different ways to mask children, even though the WHO has been fairly consistent in its stance that children under the age of five should be spared. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last month cited the Delta variant to emphasize the masking of infants.
“Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (ages 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status,” it said.
WHO, however, doesn’t push For compulsory masking even in the age group of 6-11 years. It said that wearing of masks in these children should be based on factors such as the level of infection in the community, whether the child is able to follow mask protocol and hygiene, if there is adequate adult supervision when wearing or taking off the mask and also on learning and Potential effects on psychosocial behavior. The last argument was the primary argument in Dr. Vinay Prasad’s the Atlantic Article.
Public Health England, also the health agency of the UK does not recommend Face coverings for children under 3 years of age “for health and safety reasons”. It also recommends a more relaxed masking protocol for children under the age of 11.
The Danish health authority is even more liberal in allowing children to wear masks. “If you are the parent of a child under 12 who cannot wear a face mask, you can help your child keep their hands clean instead, and you can keep an eye on whether your child is showing symptoms of COVID-19,” the advisory says.
(Edited by Mansa Mohan)
Read also: Kids, Covid and Delta Versions: What We Know and What We Don’t
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