In Bangladesh, the rates of both the infections among the children and deaths due to deadly coronavirus are much higher compared to different other countries in the world.
According to information received from different sources, at least eight percent among the total people infected by the COVID-19 in Bangladesh are children while they constitute 2.31 percent of the total deceased.
On the other hand, the rate of infection of children worldwide is only 2.5 percent and the death rate is less than one percent.
According to sources, the rate of infections of children by the virus is higher in Bangladesh for many reasons. The people of Bangladesh are not well-aware of the virus, besides their unwillingness to maintain social distancing and health guidelines. Moreover, child-labour is also responsible for the spread of the virus among the children.
Dr. ASM Alamgir, chief scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said the high rate of infection among children by the coronavirus is a matter of concern to us.
“We are trying to find out the reasons behind it”, he said.
The official sources said that more than 6,000 among the total people infected by the COVID-19 are children, butspecialised treatment for them is not enough. Only a 14-bed unit dedicated to COVID-19 treatment for the children is available at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Bangladesh. Butthere is no Intensive Care Unit (ICU), ventilator and dialysis facility.
Not only that, the state-run child specialised hospital does not have treatment facility for children being infected by the COVID-19. Although a 22-bed isolation unit was set up by the specialised hospital immediately after Bangladesh noticed coronavirus infection, none is being provided treatment there.
In this circumstance, both health experts and guardians of children expressed their deep concern over the poor treatment facilities for children being infected by the deadly coronavirus.
Professor Dr. ShafiAhmmedMuwaz, a director at Dhaka Child Hospital, however, claimed that the 22-bed isolation unit is functioning in a limited scale. He also admitted that the arrangement at the isolation unit is not enough for the children to provide them treatment properly.
Replying to a query, the professor admitted that they usually send infected children back to their residences so that other normal patients are not infected by them.
Professor Dr. ShafiAhmmedMuwaz further said that they had applied to the ministry of health seeking for allocation to launch a corona unit, but there is no progress in this regard so far.
As per the latest information, the death toll stood at 1,171 in Bangladesh till Sunday and the death rate at 1.34 percent, said Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
She also said that the total number of infections by the virus in the country was and the infection rate was 21.65 percent.
Besides, the total number of corona infected people in the world was 77,64,977 and the number of total deaths was 4,29,666.