Paediatric 2021

  CHENNAI: Ahead of an expected third wave, the Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), in coordination with the  state health department , is training nurses and doctors online to manage Covid-19 in children. Nearly 10,000 staff nurses and 3,800 paediatricians in government and private hospitals across the state have received the training so far. IAP, a body of paediatricians, aims at preparing close to 50,000 healthcare workers in the state before the onset of a third wave. The training programme has four modules — triaging, clinical management, prevention and overview of paediatric Covid. The program is being conducted free of cost. K Rajendran, state secretary of IAP, said a majority of the nurses are hesitant to handle paediatric Covid cases as they are uncertain about the patient’s response to medicines. So, one main aspect of the programme is to train them on how to manage children and when to raise a red flag so that mortality will remain low. "A...

  When the Academy began developing evidence-based guidelines 30 years ago, chapter leaders identified fever in young infants as one of the top 10 conditions for which evaluation and management guidance was desired. However, there was insufficient evidence to develop a guideline. A decade later, the AAP Pediatric Research in Office Settings network addressed the topic in a 2004 study. It showed that office-based pediatricians tested and hospitalized infants with fever less often than prevailing recommendations advocated and still achieved excellent outcomes. Different management approaches highlighted the need for continued evidence-based guidelines. The long-awaited AAP clinical practice guideline (CPG)  Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8-60 Days Old  fills that need. The intent of the CPG is to provide a blueprint for clinicians who want to “safely do less.” It is available at  https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228  and will be pu...

  The Smithsonian Science Education Center collaborated with WHO and the InterAcademy Partnership to create a guide for children aged 8 to 17 years to help them better understand the science and social science behind COVID-19 and learn how to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe. The guide is titled, “ COVID-19! How Can I Protect Myself and Others? ” The project “makes science exciting and approachable for children and youth all over the world and encourages them to learn by doing,” WHO chief scientist  Soumya Swaminathan, MD, MNAMS , said in a news release. “With all the  myths and misconceptions  out there, it is important for children and youth to understand the nature of this pandemic and what can be done to prevent future pandemics from happening” WHO also collaborated recently on  a children’s book  to help children cope with the pandemic. The new guide consists of seven student-led tasks, each driven by a question that children ...