By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Some of the priorities of the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on prevention, early detection and response to this disease, however, it also has devastating social impacts such as orphaned children who have been deprived of their caregivers.
This is another pandemic that hides children who face adverse consequences inherent to their orphanhood, such as poverty, abuse and institutionalization, so it is critical to accelerate the equitable distribution of vaccines.
According to a study of global estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood, published in the British medical journal The LancetDuring the first 14 months of the pandemic, 1.1 million children would have lost at least one primary caregiver, either a parent or a custodial grandparent, during the first 14 months of the pandemic.
The figure rises to 1.5 million if, in addition to primary caregivers (custodial parents and grandparents), secondary caregivers are considered, including other family members between the ages of 60 and 84 living in the same household who also help with parenting.
"Studies like this one play a crucial role in illuminating the lasting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for families and the future mental health of children around the world," said National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow, who funded part of the work.
In the U.S., the number of children who lost their primary caregivers is 104,884, of whom 75,645 lost a father, 29,222 lost a mother, 4,172 lost a grandmother and 4,618 lost a grandfather.
Among some of the repercussions of the death of a parent or caregiver is an increased risk of mental health problems in the child, as well as physical, emotional and sexual violence, and family economic hardship.
According to research, these adverse experiences also increase the risks of suicide, infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, and chronic illness.
The study, with data from 21 countries, estimates that in places such as Peru, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Iran, the United States, Argentina and Russia, the mortality rate for primary caregivers was at least one per 1,000 children.
"While the trauma a child experiences after the loss of a parent or caregiver can be devastating, there are evidence-based interventions that can prevent subsequent adverse consequences, such as substance use, and we must ensure that children have access to this care," Vokow added.
Mexico is the country with the most children orphaned by COVID-19
According to the study published in The Lancet, Mexico became the country with the highest number of orphans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 131,325 children who lost at least one primary caregiver.
When those children whose primary caregivers were grandparents or older adults living with them - secondary caregivers - are added, the figure rises to 141,132 children who were orphaned.
Between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, the study notes that 33,342 children were left motherless, 97,951 were left fatherless, and 32 were left without both parents.
In addition, 4,429 children lost their grandmother, 5,342 lost their grandfather, and 36 lost both grandparents.
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