{"id":633022,"date":"2024-09-01T19:40:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T16:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/"},"modified":"2024-09-01T19:40:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-01T16:40:01","slug":"children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/","title":{"rendered":"#Children are at high risk\u2014health expert explains why"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a367e889eee0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a367e889eee0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/#Why_is_the_DRC_outbreak_affecting_children_so_badly\" >Why is the DRC outbreak affecting children so badly?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/#Is_this_unusual_Are_there_other_diseases_that_children_are_more_susceptible_to\" >Is this unusual? Are there other diseases that children are more susceptible to?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/#What_are_the_priorities_to_protect_children_in_this_outbreak\" >What are the priorities to protect children in this outbreak?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why\/#What_steps_should_be_taken_if_a_child_is_infected_with_mpox\" >What steps should be taken if a child is infected with mpox?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/mpox-in-the-drc-childr.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/mpox-in-the-drc-childr.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A one-month-old baby at an mpox isolation unit in South Kivu province, DRC. Credit: UNICEF\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/mpox-in-the-drc-childr.jpg\" alt=\"Mpox in the DRC: children are at high risk\u2014health expert explains why\" title=\"A one-month-old baby at an mpox isolation unit in South Kivu province, DRC. Credit: UNICEF\" width=\"800\" height=\"394\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                A one-month-old baby at an mpox isolation unit in South Kivu province, DRC. Credit: UNICEF<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/mpox#:~:text=Children%2C%20pregnant%20people%20and%20people,with%20mpox%20become%20very%20sick.\">warned<\/a> that children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are at higher risk from the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports confirm that children under 5 account for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/disease-outbreak-news\/item\/2024-DON522\">39%<\/a> of all cases in the country, and babies as young as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.savethechildren.org\/us\/about-us\/media-and-news\/2024-press-releases\/newborn-babies-catching-deadly-mpox\">2 weeks<\/a> are being diagnosed with this viral illness.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases, explains how mpox can be dangerous for children and what must be done to protect them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_the_DRC_outbreak_affecting_children_so_badly\"><\/span>Why is the DRC outbreak affecting children so badly?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Because of conflict, political instability and insecurity, large parts of the DRC have not had stable, consistent, sustained health responses or health prevention. As a result, it&#8217;s hard to control infectious diseases like mpox.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, children in any outbreak setting are already vulnerable given their immature and still-developing immune systems, especially under the age of 5.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/co-pediatrics\/abstract\/2023\/04000\/a_global_update_of_mpox__monkeypox__in_children.7.aspx\">paper on pediatric mpox<\/a>, my colleagues and I reported that children in Africa were much more vulnerable to monkeypox virus infection than children elsewhere. About 2% of those infected globally were under the age of 18 years, while children in Africa constituted nearly 40% of cases.<\/p>\n<p>These statistics are due to a combination of things: living in a country where mpox is consistently present (endemic), exposure through contact with animals, and not having the benefit of a vaccine. Smallpox vaccine is effective against mpox, but this was discontinued in 1980 after smallpox was eradicated, so anyone born after that in DRC or other African countries has not been vaccinated against mpox. This is still true, even after the global outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                                                                                The new variant circulating in the DRC\u2014Clade Ib\u2014has genetic changes that have been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-024-03130-3\">linked to<\/a> sustained human-to-human transmission, which is thought to be driving the current outbreaks in the DRC and east Africa. Furthermore, current WHO reports indicate that Clade Ib is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/docs\/default-source\/coronaviruse\/situation-reports\/20240812_mpox_external-sitrep_35.pdf\">also linked to<\/a> sexual contact and is affecting mostly adults, especially men who have sex with men and sex workers.<\/p>\n<p>It is Clade Ia, the previously known circulating virus, which is significantly affecting children. Of course, adolescents (those between 10 and 19 years) may be caught in the middle and represented in the case numbers for both Clade Ia and Ib.<\/p>\n<p>But it&#8217;s important to note that children have been susceptible to mpox since the first ever reported case in the DRC in 1970. That particular case was a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/mpox\">9-month-old boy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In those days, animal-to-human contact was a more common means of mpox transmission\u2014after all, it is a zoonotic disease. Studies and reports <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosntds\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pntd.0010141\">suggest<\/a> that, historically, children were more susceptible to mpox because of higher exposure to wild animals, for example, different species of monkeys and rodents in rural and forest areas.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_this_unusual_Are_there_other_diseases_that_children_are_more_susceptible_to\"><\/span>Is this unusual? Are there other diseases that children are more susceptible to?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No, it&#8217;s not unusual.<\/p>\n<p>Children are born with immune systems that are still developing.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s when they get to around five years of age that they have had enough time and disease exposure (or vaccines) to make their immune systems more robust and build adequate immune protection.<\/p>\n<p>Children in the DRC are particularly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases because the country has quite low child vaccination rates. In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tdtmvjournal.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s40794-024-00225-0#:~:text=The%20Democratic%20Republic%20of%20Congo%20(DRC)%20is%20one%20of%20the,1%2C%208%2C%209%5D\">19.1%<\/a> of children in the DRC between 12 and 23 months had never been vaccinated for diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough); the ideal vaccine coverage is 95%.<\/p>\n<p>This also means that children in the DRC are more susceptible to highly contagious and dangerous diseases, like measles. An outbreak or rise in cases of measles infection is an early indicator that a health system is broken. This is because measles control needs a very high level of herd immunity\u2014when enough people in a population are immune to a disease, making it harder for the disease to spread to those who aren&#8217;t immune. Once immunization levels drop\u2014like in the setting of conflict or other humanitarian emergency\u2014measles infections start popping up. Containing them requires immense catch-up vaccination efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Chickenpox and malaria are other diseases that children are more susceptible to on account of their immature and still-developing immune systems.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_priorities_to_protect_children_in_this_outbreak\"><\/span>What are the priorities to protect children in this outbreak?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>First, children must be specifically targeted for protection. This is because they are a primary population of concern that can develop severe and fatal disease.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the health system and health care workers must make it as easy as possible to get parents or caregivers to bring children in. This includes addressing the inconveniences of leaving their communities to seek care.<\/p>\n<p>Third, the stigma connected to mpox must be addressed. Parents and caregivers may be reluctant to seek care because of the stigma and negative treatment they may receive. The skin lesions are quite noticeable for mpox and unfortunately draw negative attention and treatment by society and health workers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>, including international media, have been feeding into this\u2014especially for African people with mpox\u2014and it needs to stop.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a vaccination program focused on children needs to be rolled out to stem transmission. But there are major challenges.<\/p>\n<p>First, the mpox vaccine approved for use by the WHO and in most countries with access during the global 2022 outbreak and to date is the MVA-BN vaccine (Jynneos), which is not approved for children under 18 years. MVA-BN makes up the vast majority of ongoing vaccine donations to African countries. Japan&#8217;s LC16 vaccine <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hosp.ncgm.go.jp\/isc\/vaccines\/MNK\/Vaccination_Procedure_Guideline_for_Lc16.pdf\">has been used<\/a> for children as young as 1\u20137 years, but it may require approvals for use or trials among children outside Japan.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, children urgently need routine vaccines to protect them from other diseases such as measles, chickenpox, meningitis or polio. This will ensure that they aren&#8217;t struck by multiple illnesses while they are still highly vulnerable. It gives their immune system a better chance at fighting mpox.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_steps_should_be_taken_if_a_child_is_infected_with_mpox\"><\/span>What steps should be taken if a child is infected with mpox?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This may be hard to do, especially in the home, but the child should be isolated to minimize human to human transmission. There has been some <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/news-events\/news-releases\/antiviral-tecovirimat-safe-did-not-improve-clade-i-mpox-resolution-democratic-republic-congo\">promise of drugs<\/a> that directly treat mpox infection, but recent results from tecovirimat and Clade I mpox have been disappointing.<\/p>\n<p>The next step is to treat the symptoms and prevent complications. The most <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(23)00607-1\/fulltext\">common manifestations<\/a> in pediatric mpox are rash, fever and enlarged lymph nodes, and the most common cause of complications is secondary bacterial infection.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s particularly important that skin lesions are managed to prevent secondary infection. The danger is in mpox lesion infection. If left unmanaged, the infection can develop into sepsis. This is a potentially fatal bloodstream infection that can affect the function of one or more organs. The reports of mortality among children in the DRC are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(23)00607-1\/fulltext\">usually<\/a> sepsis. Proper wound care and antibiotics are important preventive tools.<\/p>\n<p>In parallel to this, steps must be taken to help improve the overall health and well-being of the child. For instance, if the child is malnourished, they need age-appropriate therapeutic nutrition so that they are better able to fight mpox and other infections.<\/p>\n<p>Children in mpox-endemic African countries are facing outbreaks with little to no access to pediatric vaccines and effective antiviral treatments. In this context, the most important things are nutrition, completion of routine immunizations, and prevention of secondary infection. This requires convenient access to stigma-free, evidence-based care and support for children and their parents or caregivers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg>\n                                                            <use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n                                                        <\/svg><br \/>\n                                                    <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/mpox-in-the-drc-children-are-at-high-risk-health-expert-explains-why-237597\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/237597\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Children are at high risk\u2014health expert explains why (2024, September 1)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 1 September 2024<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-08-mpox-democratic-republic-congo-children.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2024-08-mpox-democratic-republic-congo-children.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A one-month-old baby at an mpox isolation unit in South Kivu province, DRC. Credit: UNICEF The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are at higher risk from the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports confirm that children under 5 account for 39%&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":633023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/mpox-in-the-drc-childr.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-633022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}