46% Children Exposed To Covid-19 In Bangalore Rural: Seroprevalence Survey

In a seroprevalence survey done in the Bengaluru Rural region in June and July of last year, 46 per cent of children aged 0 to 18 were exposed to Covid-19. The study titled Covid serosurvey among children after the second surge in a rural district of South India' was sent to an international scientific journal for publication. The research was conducted by Bangalore Baptist Hospital on 213 boys and 199 girls in Doddaballapura and Devanahalli taluks. As reported by Times of India, Dr Caroline Elizabeth George, the head of community health in Bangalore Baptist Hospital who led the survey, said,

"The study's findings are a relief. Even though vaccination in children is still in its early phase in India, most children would have had exposure to Covid and have developed antibodies."

Covid-19 Seroprevalence Surveys

Serology or antibody testing finds out antibodies against the Covid-19 causing virus in a person's blood sample. Antibodies are present in a person's blood one to three weeks after getting infected with Covid-19. If a person is tested positive in the serology testing, it indicates that they were previously infected with the virus. The seroprevalence survey uses serology or antibody tests to determine the percentage of people in a population who developed antibodies against the Covid-19 virus.

Indirect Issues Faced by Children Due to Covid-19

Most deaths due to Covid-19 occur in the 50-72 age group, reported Deccan Herald. Children are not the worst hit directly by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, UNICEF data shows that they risk being among its biggest victims, as children's lives are nonetheless being changed in profound ways. Rather than the disease itself, children are affected by the socio-economic impacts created by the Covid-19 pandemic. With families suffering from monetary loss due to the pandemic, the risk of malnutrition in children, domestic abuse, child marriage etc., increased. Child poverty is estimated to be 10% higher than it was before the pandemic, resulting in an additional 100 million children living in poverty on many levels.

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