Virus impact could kill over 50,000 children in MENA: UN

Amman

UN agencies warned yesterday that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to an additional 51,000 deaths of children under the age of five in the Middle East and North Africa by the end of the year. The World Health Organisation and UN children’s agency UNICEF said the disruption of essential health and nutrition services risked “reversing progress (on) child survival in the region by nearly two decades”.

“While we do not have many cases of COVID-19 among children in the region, it is evident that the pandemic is affecting children’s health first-hand,” the agencies warned. They pointed out the case of rising malnutrition and a protracted lack of access to vaccinations and treatment for childhood diseases.

Such a number of extra deaths would represent an increase of almost 40 percent over pre-coronavirus figures, they said in a joint statement issued in Amman. The agencies cited overstretched health facilities with little personal protective equipment, economic hardships and parents’ fears of contracting the illness at health clinics as factors that could cause a huge rise in child deaths.

But they said that such a grim scenario can be avoided with the right measures in place. The agencies called for a “full and safe resumption” of essential immunisation campaigns and nutrition services, following “strict precautionary measures for infection prevention”. They highlighted the importance of increasing trust in public health systems and promoting appropriate care-seeking behaviours among families.