MillenniumPost
Delhi

Docs cautiously welcome DGHS guidelines for children

New Delhi: Doctors in the city have welcomed the new guidelines for children by the Directorate General of Health Services. DGHS in its new statement said that wearing masks to prevent Covid-19 is not recommended for children below five years of age, even though the practice is deemed essential for adults. Children aged between six to 11 years may wear a mask, but only under the supervision of parents and the consulting doctor, reports showed. The recent recommendations deal with Covid management in children below 18 years of age.

"The guidelines are timely and will be useful in case there is an increase in the number of children getting infected. Even in the past, Remdesivir was not used on children with moderate to severe disease. While the 6-minute walk test is a valid way to check for at-risk patients, we must ensure that there are enough PICU capabilities in the surroundings to address the child's requirements should there be a need to admit them. We are in the process of increasing our PICU capability to meet any such need. We must remember that children are more prone to infections anyway," Dr Sameer Punia, Consultant, Peads, Aakash Healthcare said.

Meanwhile, Dr Gauri Agarwal, Founder of Seeds of Innocence Hospital warned against misinterpretation of the guidelines. "However, awareness should be created so that the guidelines are not misinterpreted, which would be counterproductive," she said.

"First and foremost, one cannot emphasise enough that these guidelines are for both the public and medical fraternity, and hence no one should use these for self-medication. Secondly, we must understand the basics of wearing mask and hygiene. Considering it may be impossible for kids below 5 to adhere to these basics, it can lead to higher chances of infection. Hence, DGHS has said that kids below the age of 5 need not wear a mask. It does not mean that they are not at risk.

"Moreover, since they'll not be wearing a mask, it means that additional care and precautions to be taken by their guardians. Similarly, kids age 6-11 should be taught the correct use of mask and accordingly monitored by adults from time to time," Dr Agarwal added.

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