Viewpoint Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/archdischild-2020-320652 on 5 October 2020. Downloaded from
international organisations and the private Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sector must also prioritise the continuation and support of child health programmes global child health: joint statement of throughout this pandemic. We must not the International Child Health Group leave children behind. Correction notice This paper has been updated since it was published online. One of the collaborators’ and the Royal College of Paediatrics names has been amended. Twitter International Child Health Group @ and Child Health intchildhealth Collaborators International Child Health Group: Neal International Child Health Group, Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Russell; Natalie Prevatt; Andrew Clarke; Sunil Bhopal; Delan Devakumar; Amaran Uthayakumar-Cumarasamy; Health Maryke Nielsen; Paula de Sousa; Beth Stinchcombe. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: Sebastian Taylor; Susan Broster; Russell Viner. ► Mothers, newborns and children— Modelling suggests that for every ► Contributors The first draft was written by NR, with especially in the poorest countries— COVID-19 death prevented by suspension early contributions from NP and AC. This was then are suffering significant indirect of routine vaccination in order to reduce edited considerably and finalised by all authors. impacts on health and care as a result transmission, substantially more could die as Funding The authors have not declared a specific of COVID-19, with potentially long- a result.6Childhood malaria deaths are also grant for this research from any funding agency in the term adverse effects. predicted to double this year7 due to down- public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. ►► Governments, donors, international scaling of prevention and treatment. The Competing interests None declared. agencies and civil society organisations World Food Programme predicts a doubling Patient consent for publication Not required. engaged in confronting COVID-19 of malnutrition, disproportionately affecting 8 Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; must collaboratively and transpar- children. internally peer reviewed. ently monitor and publicly report the Maternal and child health services, many © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No effects of pandemic response on fami- of which already suffered from a background commercial re-use . See rights and permissions. lies and children. of underinvestment, limited resilience and Published by BMJ. ►► Global investments in COVID-19 fragile demand, are now severely compro- recovery must prioritise a new mised in many low-resource settings due to First published online 12 August 2020: www.inte rnationa lchildhe althgroup. org/covidglobal era of investment in robust health closures, fear of attending health facilities and 9 systems supporting a family-centred and lack of personal protective equipment. www.rcpch. ac.uk/ resources/impact- covid- 19-pandemic- model of healthcare and child health Over a million excess child deaths could global-child- health- joint- statement programmes. occur in the next 6 months as a result.10 Children’s mental health and safety are Despite direct effects on children from the also at risk due to disruption of socioeco- COVID-19 virus being rare so far, the indi- To cite Arch Dis Child 2021;106:115–116. nomic and environmental conditions needed http://adc.bmj.com/ rect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthy childhood, and the exacerba- Received 7 September 2020 worldwide could be catastrophic for chil- Revised 9 September 2020 tion of family and gender-based violence dren, with considerable excess death and Accepted 12 September 2020 and abuse.11 Hardships for children living Published Online First 5 October 2020 suffering.1 2 in poverty are amplified, a consequence of Many major causes of poor health and Arch Dis Child 2021;106:115–116. unemployment and income insecurity.12 13 doi:10.1136/archdischild-2020-320652 mortality in children are expected to increase Girls in particular may drop out of education this year as a result of the pandemic and the on September 25, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. as families re-enter poverty, and the position response. At the same time, the capacity of of migrant and refugee children has become REFERENCES governments, health systems, development 14 more precarious. 1 Sochas L, Channon AA, Nam S. Counting indirect crisis- and humanitarian organisations to respond The burden of the indirect consequences related deaths in the context of a low-resilience health to child health is decreased. system: the case of maternal and neonatal health during of the pandemic will fall disproportionately Vaccine access is already being compro- the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. Health Policy Plan on children, but we are alarmed at how little 2017;32:iii32–9. mised due to COVID-19 response and attention their needs are receiving. 2 Parpia AS, Ndeffo-Mbah ML, Wenzel NS, et al. Effects of transport restrictions, with great impact in response to 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak on deaths from 3 Child health professionals must advocate low-income country settings. Vaccination for children’s needs to become more visible, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis, West Africa. Emerg Infect Dis 2016;22:433–41. activities have been delayed or suspended in and for the rights of all children to protec- at least 27 countries to prevent the spread of 3 Geneva Palais briefing note on the impact of COVID-19 tion, survival, participation and development mitigation measures on vaccine supply and logistics. COVID-19, despite several having ongoing Available: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/geneva- 4 to be upheld within global and national measles epidemics. More than 100 million actions. 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While attention shifts towards inter- Correspondence to International Child Health Group, measles-news/more-than-117-million-children-at-risk- Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health, London, ventions directed towards COVID-19 with a of-missing-out-on-measles-vaccines-as-covid-19-surges/ UK; intchildhealth@ gmail.com focus on global health security, governments, [Accessed 11 May 2020].
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