H5N1

DR Congo: In less than two months, nearly 90 children aged 0 to 5 died from an unknown disease in Gungu (Kwilu)

Via Actualite.cd: DRC: in less than two months, nearly 90 children aged 0 to 5 died from an unknown disease in Gungu (Kwilu). The Google translation:

Nearly 90 children aged 0 to 5 have died since the end of August as a result of a hitherto undetermined illness, authorities alert. According to the head of the provincial health division in Kwilu, Jean-Pierre Basake, the affected children show signs of fever causing anemia. He indicates that the health authorities were not seized of the matter in time.

“In places, like in Lonzo Munene village, two to three children die. It already dates from the end of August. And when we add up, we are around 90 children. The team was not warned in time because the families were going to the private community more, the state structures were not informed. It is malaria with fevers that reduce blood hemoglobin, so that by lack of transfusion and good management to minimize fevers, there is anemia,” said Jean-Pierre Basake. 

He adds: “Also because of their habits and customs, we don't like transfusing. Now is the time for us to see how we can combine actions to have a possibility of installing the blood bank in large cities.”  

In society, these numerous cases of child deaths call for an investigation to determine the nature of the disease.  

“Children die every day, especially in the rural commune of Mukedi and the surrounding villages. There is fever, loss of blood, there is also diarrhea which manifests itself especially in children from 0 to 5 years old who are targeted by this epidemic which still lacks a name. We ask that there be a descent of a team of health experts who can come to the aid, to see if it is exactly what,” pleaded journalist René Kinenga, director of programs at Radio Fraternité by Mukedi.  

According to information collected from some residents, this is the third time that these repeated deaths have been observed for three years, still at the start of the rainy season.

DR Congo: Ebola resurfaces in North Kivu

Via 7sur7.cd: DR Congo: Ebola resurfaces in North Kivu. The Google translation:

The Minister of Health, in a statement made this Friday, October 8, 2021, announced the resurgence of the Ebola epidemic in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   

According to Dr. Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda, this is a case that has been identified in the territory of Beni in North Kivu.   

"The Democratic Republic of Congo, our country has just recorded a new case of Ebola virus on October 8, 2021. This new resurgence of the Ebola virus in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has occurred in the health zone of Beni, territory of Beni in the province of North Kivu," indicated the Minister of Health.  

In the process, the Minister of Health specifies that this case concerns a 3-year-old male child hospitalized and died on October 6 in a local health establishment in a hemorrhagic picture following which a sample was taken the next day by the Beni civil protection team.  

"The sample sent to Goma for analysis was found to be positive for the Ebola virus," added the Minister of Health.  

According to Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda, the teams of the Provincial Health Division and the health zone are already hard at work in the field to carry out response activities, in particular the listing and follow-up of around 100 contacts to date and the decontamination of health facilities.  

"Thanks to the experience acquired in the management of the Ebola virus disease during previous epidemics, we are assured that the response teams in the province, supported by the central administration, will be able to control this epidemic as soon as possible," reassured the Minister of Health.  

As a reminder, in May of the current year the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially declared the end of the 12th epidemic of the Ebola virus disease. It was almost 3 months after its resurgence in the province of North Kivu.

I don't find anything about this on the website of Radio Butembo-Beni, which is right in the region, and Actualite has a report claiming the case is a man in his 20s with no current details. But Reuters has a good report with some additional information. I'll keep checking.

Divorced Saskatchewan parents fight in court over COVID-19 vaccination for teen daughter

Via CBC News: Divorced Sask. parents fight in court over COVID-19 vaccination for teen daughter. Excerpt:

A judge has ruled the 13-year-old child of divorced Saskatoon parents should be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite legal opposition from the girl's mother.  

The father said his daughter was initially excited to receive her shot, but was then "bombarded" with false information by her mother and his own parents.  

CBC News agreed to grant the father confidentiality in order to protect the identity of the daughter.   

"[It felt like the] summer from hell," the father said of his efforts to get his daughter protected against the virus that causes COVID-19.  

He's speaking out about the family rift and the judge's decision in support of vaccination to offer comfort to other divorced parents who may be in a similar situation, he said.   

"I can't lose this case because it's going to affect so many other people."  

The law firm representing the mother said she is appealing the decision and does not want the case publicized.  

CBC News reached out multiple times to seek direct comment from her lawyer and did not hear back.  

Mother views Pfizer vaccine as dangerous: judge  

The father sought a court ruling that his daughter should get vaccinated in May, when she was 12.   

In a Sept. 9 decision in Saskatoon's Court of Queen's Bench, Justice Michael Megaw ruled in favour of the father.  

Megaw stated the mother expressed views challenging "the prevailing wisdom surrounding all of the health concerns arising from COVID-19," including skepticism about the seriousness of the pandemic and a view that the Pfizer-BioNTech is experimental and dangerous.   

"This case is not about whether there is, or has been, a pandemic with respect to the COVID-19 virus," Megaw wrote. "The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective for use in people, including both adults and children."

‘Lost generation’: Education in quarter of countries at risk of collapse, study warns

Tomorrow marks the start of a new school year in much of the world, and this will be the most challenging school year in a long time. Via The Guardian: ‘Lost generation’: education in quarter of countries at risk of collapse, study warns.

The education of hundreds of millions of children is hanging by a thread as a result of an unprecedented intensity of threats including Covid 19 and the climate crisis, a report warned today.  

As classrooms across much of the world prepare to reopen after the summer holidays, a quarter of countries – most of them in sub-Saharan Africa – have school systems that are at extreme or high risk of collapse, according to Save the Children.  

The UN estimates that, for the first time in history, about 1.5 billion children were out of school during the pandemic, with at least a third unable to access remote learning.  

Now, as much of the developing world faces a combination of interrelated crises including extreme poverty, Covid-19, climate breakdown and intercommunal violence, there are growing fears for a “lost generation of learners”.  

In an analysis ranking countries according to their vulnerability, Save the Children found eight countries to have school systems at “extreme risk”, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Somalia deemed most vulnerable, with Afghanistan following closely behind.  

The analysis calculated how vulnerable school systems were as a result of a range of factors including coronavirus vaccination coverage, the climate crisis, physical attacks, and the proportion of school-age children with a home internet connection.  

It found that a further 40 countries, including Yemen, Burkina Faso, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh, were all at “high risk”.  

Gwen Hines, chief executive of Save the Children UK, said: “We already know that it is the poorest children who have suffered the most as a result of Covid-19 school closures. But sadly Covid-19 is just one of the factors putting education – and children’s lives today and tomorrow – under threat.”  

She added: “We need to learn from this dreadful experience and act now – but it is simply not good enough to build ‘back’ to how things were. We need to build ‘forward’ and differently, using this as an opportunity for hope and positive change.”  

As much of the developed world welcomes a return to more normal schooling this term, more than 100 million children remain out of the classroom in other parts of the world due to nationwide Covid closures in 16 countries, according to Unicef.  

It is feared that between 10 and 16 million children are at risk of not returning to school at all, with girls most vulnerable.  

Rob Jenkins, global director of education at Unicef, said that even before the pandemic, much of the world had been experiencing a global learning crisis.   

“Now we are running a risk of a losing a generation of learners,” he warned. “It could have lifelong implications unless we move to catch-up programmes offering full, comprehensive support to children – not just for their learning but also for their mental health, nutritional support [and] a sense of protection.”

Texas: At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases, affecting more than 40,000 students

Via the San Antonio Current: At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases, affecting more than 40,000 students. Excerpt:

At least 45 small school districts across Texas have been forced to temporarily stop offering in-person classes as a result of COVID-19 cases in the first few weeks of the new school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.  

The shutdowns, which affected about 42,000 students as of Thursday, come as cases caused by the highly contagious delta variant have plagued administrators who hoped for a normal return to the school year.  

Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus and have had to come up with their own strategies that can differ from district to district. Administrators are tasked with protecting students’ and staff members’ health, providing a quality education and staying open enough days to avoid tacking on extra days at the end of the school year.  

“By far this is worse in terms of planning than last year,” said Tim Savoy, spokesperson for Hays Consolidated Independent School District, which closed some classrooms. “There’s no question about it. Last year we had a lot of tools at our disposal: We could require masks, and we could provide a virtual option that was funded. … [Then], the delta variant really kind of appeared and just exploded on us.”  

State data about the number of coronavirus cases in districts that have closed at least once during the school year thus far is incomplete — 19 have not reported any cases in students or staff to the state, while case totals in 22 districts have been suppressed by the state due to privacy policies. The list of public school closures in Texas is also incomplete, according to TEA. The agency is tracking closures informally based on media and district reports since districts are not required to report closures to TEA, said Frank Ward, an agency spokesperson.  

From Aug. 23-29, there were 27,353 new positive COVID-19 cases among students in Texas public schools, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, making it the biggest one-week increase in the entire pandemic. The state reports 51,904 cases among students and 13,026 among staff since the school year began. That’s about 1% of the 5.3 million students enrolled in the state as of January.  

Children’s hospitals, which have been inundated with COVID-19 patients at levels never seen before during the pandemic, have also seen an uptick in patients as the school year is underway, said Dr. Corwin Warmink, medical director of emergency services for Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth.  

“Every year when school starts, we expect a bump in volume [in our emergency room] — we planned for it, we scheduled for it,” Warmink said at a news conference Wednesday. “In the regular year we’ll see about 300 kids a day during this time. On Monday, we saw 601, an all-time record. ... At 600, we’re physically unable to care for kids in a timely fashion.”

Trends in COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions among children and adolescents aged 0–17 years — United States, August 2020–August 2021

Via MMWR: Trends in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospital Admissions Among Children and Adolescents Aged 0–17 Years — United States, August 2020–August 2021.

What is already known about this topic?  

Severe illness from COVID-19 can and does occur in children and adolescents.  

What is added by this report?  

COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions increased from June to August 2021 among persons aged 0-17 years. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions in a 2-week period in August 2021 were higher in states with lower population vaccination coverage and lower in states with higher vaccination coverage.  

What are the implications for public health?  

Community vaccination, in coordination with testing strategies and other prevention measures, is critical to protecting pediatric populations from SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19.

As COVID surges, more Florida school districts revolt against governor's mask ban

Via Reuters: As COVID surges, more Florida school districts revolt against governor's mask ban. Excerpt:

TAVARES, Fla., Sept 3 (Reuters) - In a scene replayed across the United States, angry parents and activists streamed into a meeting of the Florida's Lake County school board on Thursday where it considered whether to mandate mask-wearing for students and staff due to COVID. 

Some opponents of the mask proposal brandished signs that read “Let Our Children Breathe.” Even with Florida seeing a record number of coronavirus cases, one attendee called the pandemic "overblown." Another was escorted out by deputies after yelling at board members. 

The proposal would require staff and students to wear masks for 14 days at schools with COVID positivity rates at or above 5%. But Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, effectively banned similar mandates in July. 

Since DeSantis' order, more than a dozen Florida counties have rebelled and voted to require masks to protect students and teachers as the Delta variant sweeps across the state. This week, the state's Department of Education sanctioned two counties that passed school mask requirements. 

The battle between DeSantis and the state's school systems echoes larger fights across the country. Other Republican-run states such as Arizona and Texas have also banned mask mandates in schools even as COVID cases have soared in their states, as parents and voters are sharply divided over safety measures and personal freedoms. 

The pushback in Florida against the Republican governor initially was led by large urban school districts run by Democrats. But this week saw more conservative counties that backed Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election also defying DeSantis and instituting their own mandates. 

Earlier this week, populous Brevard County along Florida’s east coast, which went for Trump over President Joe Biden by more than 16 percentage points in November, narrowly voted to approve a 30-day school mask mandate. 

A day later, Hernando County, which supported Trump over Biden by almost 30 points, also passed a mandate, but one that allows parents to opt out. 

In Lake County near Orlando, which also strongly backed Trump, a school official said on Thursday that more than 1,000 students of the 36,000 in the district had tested positive for the virus. 

The board listened to more than three hours of public comment on the mask proposal then postponed a decision. Some 280 people spoke or sent emails on the issue, and two-thirds of them supported the idea, the Orlando Sentinel reported. 

Still, proponents of a mask mandate were booed and heckled by the crowd in attendance. 

“This topic has completely polarized communities,” said Andrea Messina, president of the Florida School Boards Association.

New findings on pandemic kids. And what they really tell us

The Tyee has published my article: New Findings on Pandemic Kids. And What They Really Tell Us. Excerpt:

A new report by Children First Canada takes a long and detailed look at the state of our kids in this second year of pandemic. Even if you don’t have children, but hope for a decent and dignified old age, you’d better take note the findings of Raising Canada 2021 — and take appropriate action in this and future elections. 

The report finds that COVID-19 has aggravated ten major threats to our children. Those threats have been still more aggravated by “cross-cutting themes”: access to education and child care, access to health care and social services, inequity and inequality, and climate change. 

The report points to a host of threats to children that are also threats to us all. And those threats are unlikely to be blunted short of the kind of social transformation we usually call a revolution. 

Let’s look at the threats first. Some are simply intensified forms of the pre-pandemic status quo. Kids are coming into emergency departments with opioid and other poisonings, and cannabis ingestions. Their parents’ attempts to cope with stress don’t work with the kids either. 

Pre-pandemic Canada was stressful enough, but the report finds that “the effects of school closures have accelerated this threat,” leading to more eating disorders, substance misuse and suicide attempts among adolescents.

Systemic racism and discrimination stress racialized families, and the pandemic has only stressed them more. So it should be no surprise that “status First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Black children are disproportionately overrepresented in the child welfare system.” 

So stressed parents with no support are taking it out on their kids: “In some jurisdictions, clinicians have seen twice as many infants for maltreatment-related concerns, specifically fractures and head trauma.” 

More work for the health-care system 

Meanwhile, even less-stressed parents have skipped routine childhood vaccinations, ensuring more work for our health-care system when kids start coming down with measles and other preventable diseases. While many Canadian and U.S. states try to vaccinate their kids from age 12 and up, the report says, for those under 12 “vaccines may not be available until 2022.” Cuba is already testing its homegrown vaccines on kids as young as three. 

The pandemic has worsened childhood poverty, notably in a third of female lone-parent families, and “households with children are more likely to face food insecurity compared to households without children.” In other words, kids aren’t getting enough to eat. We are “ranked 37th out of 41 countries when it comes to providing healthy food for children.” Failing to nourish our children today will have consequences for the rest of the century. 

Well, not for those who die in infancy. The report says, “Canada’s infant mortality rate has increased. It is now the second highest among 17 OECD countries, at approximately 4.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. This is a marked change from 1960, when Canada ranked fifth lowest.”

English study finds long COVID affects up to 1 in 7 children months after infection

Via Reuters: English study finds long COVID affects up to 1 in 7 children months after infection.

LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - As many as 1 in 7 children may have symptoms linked to the coronavirus months after testing positive for COVID-19, the authors of an English study on long COVID in adolescents said on Wednesday. 

Children rarely become severely ill with COVID-19 but they can suffer lingering symptoms, and the study is one of the largest of its kind on how common so-called long COVID is in the age group. 

The study, led by University College London and Public Health England, found that 11- to 17-year-olds who tested positive for the virus were twice as likely to report three or more symptoms 15 weeks later than those who had tested negative. 

Researchers surveyed 3,065 11- to 17-year-olds in England who had positive results in a PCR test between January and March, and a control group of 3,739 11- to 17-year-olds who tested negative over the same period. 

Among those who tested positive, 14% reported three or more symptoms such as unusual tiredness or headaches 15 weeks later, compared with 7% reporting symptoms by that time among the control group. 

The researchers said that while the findings suggested as many as 32,000 teenagers might have had multiple symptoms linked to COVID-19 after 15 weeks, the prevalence of long COVID in the age group was lower than some had feared last year. 

"Overall, it's better than people would've guessed back in December," Professor Terence Stephenson of the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, told reporters. 

The findings were a pre-print which had not been peer-reviewed. The authors said that any decision to extend vaccination to 12- to 15-year-olds in Britain was unlikely to be based on this study as there was not enough data on whether vaccination protects against long COVID.

"We are getting increasing evidence on the safety of the vaccine in the 12- to 15-year-olds and that's more likely to be taken into consideration," Liz Whittaker, a paediatrician at Imperial College London, told reporters.

Elementary school outbreak shows delta’s risks for unvaccinated children

Via The Washington Post: Elementary school outbreak shows delta’s risks for unvaccinated children. Excerpt:

The Marin County, Calif., elementary school had been conscientious about following covid-19 protocols. Masks were required indoors, desks were spaced six feet apart, and the students kept socially distant. But the delta variant found an opening anyway. 

On May 19, one teacher, who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, began feeling fatigued and had some nasal congestion. She dismissed it as allergies and powered through. While she was usually masked, she made an exception for story time so she could read to the class. 

By the time she learned she was positive for the coronavirus two days later, half her class of 24 had been infected — nearly all of them in the two rows closest to her desk — and the outbreak had spread to other classes, siblings and parents, including some who were fully vaccinated. 

“The mask was off only momentarily, not an entire day or hours. We want to make the point that this is not the teacher’s fault — everyone lets their guard down — but the thing is delta takes advantage of slippage from any kind of protective measures,” Tracy Lam-Hine, an epidemiologist for the county, said in an interview. 

The case study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and highlighted by CDC director Rochelle Walensky during a briefing on Friday, highlights the potential danger for children under the age of 12 — the only group in the United States ineligible for coronavirus vaccines as a hyper-infectious variant tears across the country.

Just this month in Brevard County, Fla., 1,623 children were infected and more than 8,000 students were quarantined. And in the Atlanta area, thousands of positive cases were confirmed in schools with 23,000 students and staff have been quarantined. The situation has turned the nation’s schools into ideological battlegrounds — with one angry parent ripping off a mask from a teacher’s face in a Texas school this month, and parents both for and against masks filing lawsuits against their children’s school districts. 

Without concerted efforts to curb delta’s transmission, things are likely to get worse in coming months. A simulation posted this month by a CDC-funded lab predicted that in elementary schools without either masks or regular testing, more than 75 percent of children might be infected with the coronavirus in the first three months.

The delta variant-fueled surge has put new pressure on the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the vaccine for younger children as soon as possible. It has thrown school reopening plans into disarray, with some officials scrambling to impose vaccine mandates for staff, as well as universal mask mandates. And it has frightened and bewildered many parents, unsure how to protect their kids.