As spring approaches, the UK could end up experiencing one of the worst winters healthcare has ever seen, particularly when it comes to childhood illnesses. There were mysterious infections, huge waves of respiratory diseases and bugs on bugs.
The parents will breathe a sigh of relief. However, some experts warn that many of these are pandemic-related issues that may not be over for a long time.
Professor Tracy Hussell, director of the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, told The Mail on Sunday that lockdowns, which were necessary to prevent the spread of Covid, could have unintended consequences for children’s developing immune systems, putting them at risk set. may affect some. time to come
The latest wave of infections was expected, she says. But – although it is too early to tell – they could be a “smoking gun” for the NHS that could “show what is in store for this generation”.
But why?
Some experts fear that long periods of incarceration could leave children with weakened immune systems
Schools returned to closure in September 2020, but many still took measures to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19
Children are known to have more often avoided running the gauntlet of childhood illnesses when Covid hit Britain. School closures, social distancing and mask wearing have prevented these infections from spreading as usual.
As a result, children’s immune systems are not designed to fight them. In fact, the immunity of the entire population has declined.
Now that society has largely returned to normal, these diseases have returned – and there is a much larger pool of susceptible people for them to infect. Scientists call this the “immunity gap”.
Most experts say next winter, when these viruses have spread through the population and allow the immune system to recognize the bugs and fight them more effectively, we’ll see smaller, more normal waves of infection.
But Prof Hussell says it is possible that some children may take longer to catch up. Catching viruses and getting vaccinated at a young age can be “education” for the immune system, she says.
Without one—or both, as we know, childhood immunization rates dropped sharply during the pandemic—not only could children still be affected by these germs, but they could also get sicker because the immune system overreacts when it encounters them.
Prof Hussell says: “The early years are important for building your immune system. It is formed by the pollutants, insects and viruses we encounter.
“If you encounter this immune system very little – as was the case with children during the Covid pandemic – it becomes quite naive and can overreact when it is later exposed to a bug or virus.
“What we don’t know yet is what stage a person’s immune system is at. But if it is within a few years, many children may have a worse reaction to common infections over a long period of time. Could these waves of infection be a smoking gun for the NHS, a sign of the future? It’s too early to say.’
If it does, it could be just one of the lingering problems facing children as a result of the pandemic.
The first preliminary hearing of the UK’s independent Covid-19 inquiry, which examines the damage to key government decisions made during the pandemic, will take place on Tuesday.
Surprisingly, young people have only recently been put on the agenda. They were initially excluded from the scope of the draft until ministers bowed to pressure from campaigners, including former Children’s Ombudsman Anne Longfield. This is despite evidence of harm to children being presented to the government’s pandemic advisory group SAGE in late 2020. Lately, more evidence has brought more evidence.
Last week, an annual government report assessing the well-being of children found that loneliness and mental health problems had worsened, particularly among girls, while eating disorders, self-harm and obesity had increased since the pandemic. Referrals for major mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and self-harm also rose by 39 per cent to 1.1 million last year.
Separate data from NHS Digital shows hospitalizations of under-18s with eating disorders have increased by 82 per cent to 7,719 since the year before the pandemic. Neurologists have also noticed an increase in the number of girls developing tics – repetitive, wriggling movements – thought to be linked to high levels of stress and anxiety.
According to a recent report by the National Audit Office, many children are still more than a month behind in reading and weeks behind in arithmetic, threatening their future earning potential. Education watchdog Ofsted found that 10 per cent more five- and six-year-olds than usual need support with speech and language at school. Meanwhile, Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman has also warned of a rise in persistent school absences since the pandemic – with nearly 100,000 almost completely out of school.
Anne Longfield told The Mail on Sunday that children were “still paying the price” of Covid-related school closures “and potentially for a very long time to come”. In contrast, the impact of the Covid virus was limited even to most children – 141 children died from the virus, a small fraction of the more than 200,000 people in the UK as a whole.
However, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that around 71,000 children in the UK have a long-term Covid illness, with symptoms including debilitating fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems and muscle aches. And as evidence of long-term damage mounts, many experts are increasingly convinced that the well-intentioned measures taken to protect children from Covid were actually worse than the disease.
The fact that many different infections circulated simultaneously throughout the winter — outside of their normal seasonal patterns — made the situation worse, scientists say. And when they coincide like this, they can cause significant problems.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that around 71,000 children in the UK are suffering from long-term Covid, with symptoms including debilitating fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems and muscle pain.
Take group A streptococcus, for example, a bacterial infection commonly known as scarlet fever. This winter season was more than 10 times the average number of cases. This is not always problematic and usually only causes a sore throat and flu-like symptoms. But when the infection occurs after the body has just fought off a virus – one of many viruses currently circulating – the body has a harder time fighting it, says Professor Neil Mabbott, who specializes in immunopathology at the University of Edinburgh.
About 30 children are known to have died from this invasive form of group A streptococcus.
“It is possible that there are piggyback rides where a secondary bacterial infection occurs after a virus and causes more damage,” adds Prof. Mabbott at. “Or it could be of a more serious nature. We just don’t know.”
Another rare disease that affects children is hepatitis, an inflammatory liver disease usually caused by a virus, alcohol abuse, or other toxins. Between January and July 2022, there were 274 cases of the condition in children under the age of 16 – resulting in 15 requiring a liver transplant. In comparison, there were only six cases in April 2021.
Experts believe the condition can be caused by infecting children with two viruses at the same time: adenovirus, a common respiratory infection, and another called AAV2, which by itself is usually harmless.
Other explanations have also been put forward, including reduced immunity in children due to lockdowns, the spate of adenovirus infections following the lifting of Covid restrictions and changes in the pattern of how viruses normally circulate.
But Prof Mabbott is not convinced of the long-term effects on children’s immune systems.
“It’s likely that things will return to a normal seasonal pattern as we move forward,” he says. “There is no evidence of long-term effects on the immune system.”
Arabella Skinner, leader of children’s campaign group We for Them, said: “By the autumn of 2020, the government knew the harm children had endured and chose to sacrifice their well-being for the rest of society. We must ensure that in future all decisions to close children and schools are accompanied by an appropriate benefit/risk assessment.
“With what we know now, can they honestly say it was worth it?”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
