“My son was really getting into his football coaching just before the lockdown. Now, all he does all day is sit with his iPad,” says Vikram Reddy, an IT engineer in Bengaluru, about his 12-year-old son. “I really don’t know how we’re going to break him away from screens and build back healthy physical routines when all this is done,” he says, but also wonders – when will all this be done? “How long can we wait for the pandemic to end and send them to school?” he asks.
For hundreds of parents like Vikram, the isolation forced on their children by the pandemic has been a major cause for worry. But with news that schools in Bengaluru are set to reopen for classes 6 to 8 (having already reopened for higher classes), worries about COVID-19 are creating a difficult choice.
So, should you send your child to school risking an infection, or should you continue to isolate them?
It’s time for parents to accept that COVID-19 is here to stay for some time yet, and that their children’s well-being demands a quick return to schools, say doctors. “We’re starting to see more problems arising from online classes than benefits. The recommencement of schools is great for children,” says Dr Prakash Vemgal, Director of Paediatrics at Rainbow Children's Hospital, Bengaluru.
While adults can manage with virtual interactions, explains Dr Prakash, children require face-to-face interactions for their social, cognitive and psychological development.
“Children require a lot more stimulation from a variety of sources. Also, without sufficient physical activity, children’s sleep and eating cycles get disturbed. And we know that a range of a hormones in the body are secreted during different parts of the circadian rhythms,” he explains. As a result of such disruptions, children are experiencing a range of challenges such as speech delays among younger children, rising levels of obesity, eye problems, and a variety of psychological issues.
Dr Prakash Vemgal
Educationally, he adds, if the current situation continues, most children would be facing a major learning gap, having been promoted to higher classes without learning all of the fundamentals. “Some children may be able to cope with such a situation, but the majority cannot,” he argues.
Social interactions also contribute to various organic learning processes, and isolation can contribute to delays in developing interpersonal skills.
Finally, adds Dr Prakash, interactions with a variety of environments is also necessary for children’s immunity-building. “There are many common viruses that float around in different seasons, giving us cough, fever, stomach upset and so on. If children’s immune systems are not regularly stimulated by these, they may find themselves unable to fight off some of these infections.”
For parents to make a wise decision at this juncture, they must take a more realistic view of the impact of COVID-19, says Dr Prakash. First, he points out, even if children are kept out of school, there are no zero-risk situations for COVID-19.
More importantly, in a high majority of cases, the effects of COVID-19 infection on children have generally been mild so far. “Only a small proportion of children with COVID-19 require hospitalisation. And among them, an even smaller number require intensive care,” observes the doctor.
One troubling complication of COVID-19 for children is MIS-C, an inflammatory condition in which the immune system starts attacking parts of the body itself following a bout of COVID-19. Even with this condition, says Dr Prakash, most children recover if it is detected early and managed properly.
Finally, protecting children from COVID-19 comes down to a collective effort from schools and parents, says Dr Prakash.
Schools should develop a clear framework of policies for COVID-19 protection, including proper and periodic sanitisation of furniture and so on, training teachers in identifying relevant symptoms among children with help from hospitals or paediatricians, maintaining strict protocols for physical distancing, mask wearing, hand sanitisation and so on.
Further, parents and teachers must be vigilant to ensure that any child showing flu-like symptoms does not attend classes for the necessary period.
One of the fundamental rules Dr Prakash wants to tell parents is to not panic. At Rainbow Children's Hospital, for instance, children who test positive for COVID-19 are generally advised to rest and heal at home. Parents are provided teleconsultations and video monitoring. They are advised to visit the hospital only if certain symptoms appear, such as fever persistent beyond 3-4 days, high-grade fever, reduced appetite, decreased urine output, rashes, and persistent exhaustion.
Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Bannerghatta, Bengaluru
If symptoms reach a significant level, then the doctors may choose to admit the child in an isolation room, which is overseen by a dedicated team of nurses and other hospital professionals. Only in rare situations where the child’s health does not improve in 5 to 7 days, and oxygen levels and blood pressure are low is when intensive care in an ICU is needed.
In other words, COVID-19 is generally not lethal for children, and parents should not panic on simply receiving a COVID-positive diagnosis for their child. More importantly, parents must recognise the social, psychological and developmental benefits of school for children, and ensure they return to the classroom as soon as possible.
This article was created by TNM Brand Studio in association with Rainbow Children’s Hospital.