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Children and COVID-19 Research Library

UNICEF Innocenti's curated library of COVID-19 + Children research

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Monthly trends in drug overdose mortality among youth aged 15-34 years in the United States, 2018-2021: measuring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Hyunjung Lee; Gopal K. Singh

Published: December 2022   Journal: International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS

Adolescents and young adults in the United States (US) have experienced a significant increase in drug overdose mortality rates in the last two decades. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, they experienced a lack of access to substance use disorder treatment, stay-home orders, school closure, social isolation, increased psychological distress, and financial strain. Few studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on monthly trends in drug-overdose mortality among youth by race/ethnicity. This study estimates differential changes in monthly drug overdose mortality among youth in the US by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Monthly deaths from the final 2018-2020 national mortality data and the 2021 provisional mortality data were used, and monthly population estimates were obtained from the Census Bureau.

Mortality in children with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 in Latin America: a systematic review

AUTHOR(S)
Elisa Dorantes-Acosta; Diana Ávila-Montiel; Jesús Domínguez Rojas (et al.)

Published: August 2022   Journal: Frontiers in Pediatrics
The new COVID-19 disease is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), that probably originated in Wuhan, China, and has currently infected 505,817,953 people and caused 6,213,876 deaths in the world. On the American continent, 152,265,980 cases and 2,717,108 deaths have been reported to WHO (World Health Organization). The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region presents an epidemiological challenge due to its population's heterogeneity and socioeconomic inequality. A particularly vulnerable population is that of children with cancer, and their mortality from COVID-19 has been reported to be 3.6% globally. This work aimed to study the lethality of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer in the Latin American region. Our objective was to systematically review published scientific literature and search hospital databases in Latin America to explore mortality in this region. A median of mortality of 9.8% was found in the articles analyzed. In addition, we collected five databases from Latin American hospitals.
Spatial clusters, social determinants of health and risk of COVID-19 mortality in Brazilian children and adolescents: a nationwide population-based ecological study

AUTHOR(S)
Victor Santana Santos; Thayane Santos Siqueira; Ana I. Cubas Atienzar (et al.)

Published: July 2022   Journal: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas

Data regarding the geographical distribution of cases and risk factors for COVID-19 death in children and adolescents are scarce. We describe the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases and deaths in paediatric population and their association with social determinants of health in Brazil. This is a population-based ecological study with a spatial analysis of all cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in Brazil among children and adolescents aged 0–19 years from March 2020 to October 2021. The units of analysis were the 5570 municipalities. Data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, social vulnerability, health inequities, and health system capacity were obtained from publicly available databases. Municipalities were stratified from low to very high COVID-19 incidence and mortality using K-means clustering procedures, and spatial clusters and relative risks were estimated using spatial statistics with Poisson probability models. The relationship between COVID-19 estimates and social determinants of health was explored by using multivariate Beta regression techniques.

Exploring the factors associated with dietary diversity of children aged 6-59 months in some rural and slum areas of Bangladesh amid COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-effect regression analysis

AUTHOR(S)
Satyajit Kundu; Abu Sayeed; Abebaw Gedef Azene (et al.)

Published: June 2022   Journal: Current Developments in Nutrition

Dietary diversity (DD) is one of the key components of diet quality, and malnutrition due to poor diet quality led to child morbidity and mortality. However, in Bangladesh, there is a lack of information on childhood DD (aged 6–59 months) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess the minimum DD and its associated factors among children aged 6–59 months during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. A cross sectional study was carried out in six districts of Bangladesh. A total of 1190 respondents were included using cluster random sampling. Individual Dietary Diversity scale (IDDS) for children was used to assess the children's dietary diversity score. Factors associated with DD of children were identified using multilevel binary logistics regression model.

Covid-19 mortality in children and adolescents in Mexico

AUTHOR(S)
Dalia Stern; Eduardo Arias-de la Garza; María Teresa García-Romero (et al.)

Published: June 2022   Journal: Salud Pública de México
This study aimed to estimate Covid-19 and pre-pandemic low respiratory infection (LRI) mortality in children and adolescents in Mexico. Materials and methods. It estimated the percentage of total mortality attributable to Covid-19 (95% confidence intervals; 95%CI) and made the corresponding estimates for pre-pandemic LRI mortality.
Cite this research | Open access | Vol.: 64 | Issue: 3 | No. of pages: 5 | Language: English | Topics: Health | Tags: adolescent health, child health, child mortality, COVID-19, infectious disease, pandemic | Countries: Mexico
Mortality in children under five years old in Brazil: evolution from 2017 to 2020 and the influence of COVID-19 in 2020

AUTHOR(S)
Erly C. Moura; Juan Cortez-Escalante; Rodrigo T. S. Lima (et al.)

Published: April 2022   Journal: Jornal de pediatria

This paper aims to analyse the mortality trends in children under five years old in Brazil from 2017 to 2020 and the influence of COVID-19 in 2020.A retrospective study employing secondary data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System. Deaths according to cause were extracted and disaggregated into early, late, postneonatal, and 1 to 4-year-old periods. Corrected mortality rates per 1,000 live births and relative risk ratio for the cause of death were calculated.

Cite this research | Open access | No. of pages: 9 | Language: English | Topics: Health | Tags: child health, child mortality, COVID-19, infectious disease, pandemic | Countries: Brazil
Trends in pediatric hospitalizations and mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic in an urban setting in Cameroon

AUTHOR(S)
Andreas Chiabi; Mfie Nji Forgwei; Marie Bissong (et al.)

Published: April 2022   Journal: Journal of Tropical Pediatrics

The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Cameroon was recorded in March 2020. In response to the pandemic, most countries like Cameroon instituted a number of control measures to curb its spread accross the country. These COVID-19 control measures added to the fear of this disease within the population may have led to other detrimental health effects like: the pattern of hospitalizations and hospital outcomes. This is a cross-sectional study with data from in-patient admission records of children admitted to the pediatric ward of the Regional Hospital Bamenda over a 24 months period (1st of March 2019 to the 28th of February 2021). The pre-pandemic period in Cameroon (that is, the first 12 months, from March 2019 to February 2020) and the pandemic period (that is, the last 12 months, from March 2020 to February 2021) were compared.

Cite this research | Open access | Vol.: 68 | Issue: 3 | No. of pages: 8 | Language: English | Topics: Health | Tags: child health, child mortality, COVID-19, hospitalization, infectious disease, pandemic, urban areas | Countries: Cameroon
Which children and young people are at higher risk of severe disease and death after hospitalisation with SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and young people: a systematic review and individual patient meta-analysis

AUTHOR(S)
Rachel Harwood; Helen Yan; Nishanthi Talawila Da Camara (et al.)

Published: February 2022   Journal: EClinicalMedicine
This study aimed to describe pre-existing factors associated with severe disease, primarily admission to critical care, and death secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalised children and young people (CYP), within a systematic review and individual patient meta-analysis. It searched Pubmed, European PMC, Medline and Embase for case series and cohort studies published between 1st January 2020 and 21st May 2021 which included all CYP admitted to hospital with ≥ 30 CYP with SARS-CoV-2 or ≥ 5 CYP with PIMS-TS or MIS-C. Eligible studies contained (1) details of age, sex, ethnicity or co-morbidities, and (2) an outcome which included admission to critical care, mechanical invasive ventilation, cardiovascular support, or death. Studies reporting outcomes in more restricted groupings of co-morbidities were eligible for narrative review. It used random effects meta-analyses for aggregate study-level data and multilevel mixed effect models for IPD data to examine risk factors (age, sex, comorbidities) associated with admission to critical care and death. Data shown are odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Inequality kills: The unparalleled action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Nabil Ahmed; Anna Marriott; Nafkote Dabi (et al.)

Institution: Oxfam
Published: January 2022

The wealth of the  world’s 10 richest men has doubled since the pandemic began. The incomes of 99% of humanity are worse off because of COVID-19. Widening economic, gender, and racial inequalities—as well as the inequality that exists between countries—are tearing our world apart. This is not by chance, but choice: “economic violence” is perpetrated when structural policy choices are made for the richest and most powerful people. This causes direct harm to us all, and to the poorest people, women and girls, and racialized groups most. Inequality contributes to the death of at least one person every four seconds. But it is possible to radically redesign our economies to be centered on equality. It is possible to claw back extreme wealth through progressive taxation; invest in powerful, proven inequality-busting public measures; and boldly shift power in the economy and society. If we are courageous, and listen to the movements demanding change, we can create an economy in which nobody lives in poverty, nor with unimaginable billionaire wealth—in which inequality no longer kills.

Levels & trends in child mortality report 2021
Institution: *UNICEF, The World Bank, World Health Organisation
Published: December 2021

While the world was gripped by the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, children continued to face the same crisis they have for decades: intolerably high mortality rates and vastly inequitable chances at life. In total, more than 5.0 million children under age 5, including 2.4 million newborns, along with 2.2 million children and youth aged 5 to 24 years – 43 per cent of whom are adolescents – died in 2020. This tragic and massive loss of life, most of which was due to preventable or treatable causes, is a stark reminder of the urgent need to end preventable deaths of children and young people. Data gaps remain a serious challenge to child mortality estimation and monitoring. Almost two thirds of low and middle income countries (97 out of 135) have no reliable mortality data in the past three years. And just 40 countries had high-quality national data for 2020 included in the estimation model, though national or subnational data were available for more than 80 countries or areas to help analyse excess mortality due to COVID-19.

Deaths in children and young people in England after SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first pandemic year

AUTHOR(S)
Clare Smith; David Odd; Rachel Harwood (et al.)

Published: November 2021   Journal: Nature Medicine
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is rarely fatal in children and young people (CYP, <18 years old), but quantifying the risk of death is challenging because CYP are often infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibiting no or minimal symptoms. To distinguish between CYP who died as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those who died of another cause but were coincidentally infected with the virus, this study undertook a clinical review of all CYP deaths with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test from March 2020 to February 2021. The predominant SARS-CoV-2 variants were wild-type and Alpha.
Global, regional, and national progress towards Sustainable development goal 3.2 for neonatal and child health: all-cause and cause-specific mortality findings from the Global burden of disease study 2019
Published: September 2021   Journal: The Lancet
Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 has targeted elimination of preventable child mortality, reduction of neonatal death to less than 12 per 1000 livebirths, and reduction of death of children younger than 5 years to less than 25 per 1000 livebirths, for each country by 2030. To understand current rates, recent trends, and potential trajectories of child mortality for the next decade, we present the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 findings for all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in children younger than 5 years of age, with multiple scenarios for child mortality in 2030 that include the consideration of potential effects of COVID-19, and a novel framework for quantifying optimal child survival.
COVID-19 hospitalization rate in children across a private hospital network in the United States

AUTHOR(S)
Tommy Y. Kim; Esther C. Kim; Adrian Z. Agudelo (et al.)

Published: August 2021   Journal: Archives de Pédiatrie

There are limited studies with varying results evaluating the rate of hospitalizations of pediatric patients tested for COVID-19 in the United States. More information in the pediatric COVID-19 literature is needed. The objective of this study was to describe the rates of positive tests, hospitalization, severe disease, and mortality for COVID-19 in children. This study performed a retrospective analysis of data collected from a data warehouse from 184 hospitals across the United States. All cases of pediatric patients who were tested for COVID-19 were analyzed for test positivity, hospitalization, severe disease, and mortality. A separate subgroup analysis for ages < 1 year, 1–4 years, 5–8 years, 9–14 years, and 15–17 years was performed.

The toll of COVID-19 on African children: a descriptive analysis on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality among the pediatric population in Sub-Saharan Africale myopericarditis after vaccination with the Pfizer- BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 mR

AUTHOR(S)
Sabina Rodriguez Velásquez; Léa Jacques; Jyoti Dalal (et al.)

Published: July 2021   Journal: International Journal of Infectious Diseases

Few data on the COVID-19 epidemiological characteristics among the pediatric population in Africa exists. This paper examines the age and sex distribution of the morbidity and mortality rate in children with COVID-19 and compares it to the adult population within 15 Sub-Saharan African countries. A merge line listing dataset shared by countries within the Regional Office for Africa was analyzed. Patients diagnosed within 1 March and 1 September 2020 with confirmed positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Children's data were stratified into three age groups: 0-4 years, 5-11 years, and 12-17 years, while adults were combined. The cumulative incidence of cases, its medians, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

COVID-19 pandemic and population-level pregnancy and neonatal outcomes: a living systematic review and meta-analysis

AUTHOR(S)
Jie Yang; Rohan D’souza; Ashraf Kharrat (et al.)

Published: June 2021   Journal: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica Skip slideshow
Conflicting reports of increases and decreases in rates of preterm birth (PTB) and stillbirth in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic have surfaced. The objective of this study was to conduct a living systematic review and meta-analyses of studies reporting pregnancy and neonatal outcomes by comparing the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.
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