250,000 Babies And 10,000 Mothers Might Die From Indirect Effects Of COVID-19 In Next 6 Months

At least 250,000 babies and young kids and over 10,000 mothers in low and moderate-income nations might die in the next six months, predicted a new study. The researchers at John Hopkins University behind this study opine that disruptions to healthcare and lack of food from COVID-19 could claim these lives.

Upon analyzing COVID-19’s impact on the food supply and medical systems in these nations, the researchers modeled the number of extra deaths that could be expected from the pandemic’s impact.

These estimates are based on tentative assumptions and they represent a wide range of outcomes. They modeled three different scenarios in which the coverage of essential child and maternal health interventions get reduced by 9.8 from 51.9% and the prevalence of wasting is increased by 10 to 50%. Even though these scenarios were hypothetical, the researchers sought to reflect real-world possibilities.

Policymakers must not only consider the immediate health effects of the pandemic but also its indirect effects and its responses. Despite the mortality rates for the coronavirus infection appearing to be low among children and women of reproductive age, they might be disproportionately affected by the disruption of routing healthcare services, especially those in the low and middle-income nations.

“People, efforts, and medical supplies all shift to respond to the emergency. This often leads to the neglect of basic and regular essential health services. People with health problems unrelated to the epidemic find it harder to get access to health care services,” said the World Health Organization.

Key Predictions:

• A dramatic increase in the number of maternal deaths due to absence of childbirth interventions including clean birth environments and antibiotics
• Children will die due to malnutrition, reduced availability of treatment options and medications for pneumonia, sepsis, and dehydration
• Worst case scenario: Approximately 1.2 million additional babies and nearly 57,000 mothers would die across 118 nations in the next six months

“If routine health care is disrupted and access to food is decreased ((as a result of unavoidable shocks, health system collapse, or intentional choices made in responding to the pandemic), the increase in child and maternal deaths will be devastating.” said the researchers in their paper published in the Lancet.

“We hope these numbers add context as policymakers establish guidelines and allocate resources in the days and months to come,” they concluded.