Health experts said rise in deaths could be result of lifting of restrictions in 2021, which exposed both kids and adults to infections
As pneumonia emerged as the top killer among children, doctors have advised parents to get their kids immunised. Representation pic
The year 2021 saw a 43 per cent rise in deaths among kids aged between 1 and 5 years as compared to 2020, as per data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. A total of 679 children in that age group died in 2021, up from 473 in 2020. However, there was a dip in fatalities as compared to 2019 when the city saw 791 deaths of kids.
Health experts said the rise in death could be the result of lifting of restrictions in 2021, which exposed both kids and adults to infections and diseases as compared to 2020 when people mostly had to stay at home due to the restrictions. Some also said that the curbs on movement led to delayed diagnosis of some diseases that develop slowly, which worsened the health of the kids.
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Also read: Maternal mortality: Covid was top killer in 2020-21, shows BMC data
Dr Bakul Parekh, paediatrician and member of the Covid Task Force, said, “The mortality figure among kids aged up to 5 years is on the lower side despite a year-on-year rise from 2020. During the pandemic children were at home, so they were less exposed to infections which, in turn, led to less deaths in 2020. However, as Covid norms were relaxed in 2021, children were getting out and thus exposed to viruses, which led to an increase in the number of deaths.”
He added that pneumonia is one of the top killers in kids so it is necessary for children to take vaccines. “The government of India has recently included the pneumonia vaccine with another vaccine which is available for free. Parents need to make sure that their children are fully immunised. This will bring the mortality figure down to a certain extent,” Dr Parekh said.
BMC Deputy Executive Health Officer Dr Daksha Shah said, “If you compare the data with pre-pandemic figures, the number is on the lower side. The major reasons behind the deaths are pneumonia, diarrhoea, congenital anomaly and other infectious diseases.”
Dr Bela Verma, head of department, paediatrics, at Sir JJ Hospital, said, “Of all the kid patients undergoing treatment here, 35 per cent were transferred with complex from other healthcare facilities as they were not responding to the treatment there. As movement was restricted during the pandemic, a number of patients were unable to reach hospitals, and they are now coming to us in serious condition.”
The BMC data further revealed that 2021 saw more deaths in girls than boys, unlike previous years. Of the 679 deaths in 2021, 345 were girls and 334 boys. In 2020, 265 boys and 208 girls died while 442 boys and 349 girls died in 2019.
Dr Tushar Maniar, head of department, child health, Nanavati hospital, said, “Covid was prevalent in both 2020 and 2021, but the wave was more severe in 2021. We will have to find out if the deaths occurred due to any specific comorbidity or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, which had emerged as a clinical complication during the pandemic. There isn’t any specific cause of the gender difference.”
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