The surge in respiratory infections in young children in northern China is being driven primarily by known viral and bacterial infections and not by a novel pathogen, the World Health Organization (WHO) said late last week in an update.
Comments closedTag: children
Topic: indoor air qualityView all posts for the topic: indoor air quality
Study: Air purifier use at daycare centres cut kids’ sick days by a third
Use of air purifiers at two daycare centres in Helsinki led to a reduction in illnesses and absences among children and staff, according to preliminary findings of a new study led by E3 Pandemic Response.
Air purifiers of various sizes and types were placed in two of the city’s daycare centres during cold and flu seasons.
The initial results from the first year of research are promising, according to researcher Enni Sanmark, from HUS Helsinki University Hospital.
“Children were clearly less sick in daycare centres where air purification devices were used — down by around 30 percent,” Sanmark explained.
Comments closedTopic: public health measuresView all posts for the topic: public health measures
Substantial decrease noted in severe respiratory illness during first 2 years of pandemic
Compared to the 3 years prior to the pandemic, children with medically complex conditions and otherwise healthy children saw decreases in severe non-COVID respiratory illnesses in 2020 and 2021, the authors of a study yesterday note in JAMA Network Open.
The cross-sectional study, based on 139,078 respiratory hospitalizations in Canada, shows that the mitigation efforts used during the first several months of COVID-19 likely prevented serious outcomes from respiratory illness complications, including hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and death.
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Study finds prenatal vaccination protects infants from COVID
Infants as old as 6 months were protected from COVID‑19 infections only when mothers were vaccinated prenatally, and not before pregnancy, according to a new study in JAMA Network Open.
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Childhood abuse linked to higher risk of adult COVID‑19 death
A new study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh shows adults who suffered childhood abuse or neglect were more likely to be hospitalized for COVID‑19 or die from the virus in adulthood.
Comments closedTopic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID
Not ‘little adults’: Experts say long COVID undercounted, misdiagnosed in kids
Comments closedKids don’t come home and say, ‘Mom, I have postexertional malaise, I have brain fog.’ What happens is that they start doing poorly in school, and parents find out weeks and weeks later.
Topic: indoor air qualityView all posts for the topic: indoor air quality
Nearly 83% of tested N.B. schools exceeded peak CO2 limits, air quality results show
More than two weeks into the school year, New Brunswick has released the school air quality test results from 2022-23.
Twenty-nine of the 35 public schools tested last winter had peak carbon dioxide levels above the Department of Education’s threshold of 1,500 parts per million (ppm), shown in results posted online and included at the end of this story.
Continue readingNearly 83% of tested N.B. schools exceeded peak CO2 limits, air quality results show
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As Covid-19 hospitalizations climb, rates among seniors and children raise concern
Covid-19 hospitalizations have been on the rise in the United States for months, with weekly admissions now more than triple what they were two months ago. Seniors have the highest rates of Covid hospitalizations by far, but hospitalizations among children — especially among those younger than 5 — are rising fast.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Parent group says province should do more to better air quality in schools
A group of parents with kids in Ontario classrooms is calling on the province to take further action to improve air ventilation, filtration, and purification in its schools.
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Absence rates due to illness double in first week and a half at Calgary public schools
Absence rates at Calgary public schools have more than doubled after the first week of school, as concerns loom over respiratory illnesses this fall and hospitals deal with an E. coli outbreak.
Comments closedTopic: indoor air qualityView all posts for the topic: indoor air quality
Parents call for better air quality in schools to protect against viruses, wildfire smoke
Several grassroots groups of parents, health-care workers and teachers have sprung up across Canada to lobby for safer schools, including improved air quality.
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The government is absent from keeping students safe from COVID-19
COVID-19 is still here, and classrooms still represent a place where infection can spread, but there are other ways to learn and engage with students.
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New York State sending masks, COVID-19 tests to schools for start of classes
New York State is sending masks and COVID-19 rapid tests to school districts that request them for the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Comments closedAs the school year begins, it is past time to talk about the threat that SARS-CoV-2, the highly transmissible airborne virus that causes COVID-19, poses to the health of students.
Not only can the disease cause acute illness in youth, it can also lead to debilitating lingering symptoms, known as long COVID.
Comments closedTopic: universal maskingView all posts for the topic: universal masking
School mask mandates again? Why some experts believe it’s a good idea
“Children are not going to wear masks unless there’s a mask mandate, because we saw how quickly kids stopped wearing masks when they didn’t have to. The peer pressure that affects children in school, it’s really extraordinary. We’re still going to need to make it a rule for children and young adults to wear masks in school.”
Comments closedTopic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID
Long COVID is debilitating children. Doctors worry there aren’t enough centers to treat them
Last month, the National Institutes of Health updated its considerations for long COVID to say the burden of the condition in children “may be quite large.” Studies estimating its prevalence in pediatric populations are limited and conflicting, estimating up to 25% of children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus could go on to develop long COVID, though it’s more likely between 2% and 10%. Older children with existing chronic diseases or who had a more severe COVID-19 infection have an increased risk.
Comments closedTopic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia
Parents’ group wants more COVID protections in B.C. classrooms ahead of new school year
Protect Our Province is asking for HEPA filters, mask mandates, and fast-tracked COVID vaccinations.
Comments closedTopic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia
Dozens sign open letter urging ‘safe return to school’ amid respiratory illness concerns
With students returning to B.C. classrooms in four weeks, an open letter to the province is outlining five things the signatories say must be addressed to ensure “a safe return to school.”
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