Coronavirus disease-19 deaths among children and adolescents in an area of Northeast, Brazil: why so many?

Autor: de Siqueira Alves Lopes A; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil., Fontes Vieira SC; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil., Lima Santos Porto R; Graduate Program in Health and Environment, Tiradentes University, Aracaju, Brazil., Santana Santos V; Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Arapiraca, Brazil.; Health Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil., Fontes Leite DC; Department of Medicine, Tiradentes University, Aracaju, Brazil., Eduardo Cuevas L; Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK., Queiroz Gurgel R; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences Post-Graduate Program, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH [Trop Med Int Health] 2021 Jan; Vol. 26 (1), pp. 115-119. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Dec 06.
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13529
Abstrakt: Objective: To describe COVID-19 deaths among children and adolescents in Sergipe, Brazil.
Methods: Ecological study of all COVID-19 reported cases and deaths occurring in children and adolescents < 19 years of age in Sergipe reported by the health surveillance and mortality information systems of Sergipe's Health Secretary and hospital records.
Results: Of 37 deaths of children < 19 years old were reported up to 30 September 2020, corresponding to 4.87 deaths for 100 000 population < 19 years old. Most deaths occurred among infants (44.1/100 000), and this age group had the highest case fatality rate (15.3 %). Most children had comorbidities such as chronic neurological diseases (n = 7; 19%) and prematurity (n = 4; 11%). Most children who died (n = 18; 49%) were not admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).
Conclusion: COVID-19 mortality in children and adolescents in Sergipe was higher than in other Brazilian states and in high-income countries. A large proportion of the deaths occurred among children with comorbidities and a minority of children were admitted to ICU, reflecting the limited provision of such beds in the State. Newborns and infants are a high-risk group that must have priority in health public policy.
(© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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